


A Universal Revival

by nggt052020



Category: Supernatural
Genre: F/M, Gen, M/M, Minor Eileen Leahy/Sam Winchester, Parent Castiel (Supernatural), Parent Dean Winchester, Parent Sam Winchester, Protective Castiel (Supernatural), Protective Dean Winchester
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:08:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 40
Words: 79,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27761281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nggt052020/pseuds/nggt052020
Summary: Jack has restored earth. That was the simple part. Chuck had destroyed so many other worlds. Now Jack is trying to fix all those worlds but those aren't as easy to revive. Jack starts facing problems while restoring the worlds and asks TFW to help. Join them as they figure out why Jack is struggling to revive some worlds.
Relationships: Castiel & Dean Winchester, Castiel & Jack Kline, Castiel/Dean Winchester, Dean Winchester & Sam Winchester, Jack Kline & Dean Winchester, Jack Kline & Sam Winchester
Comments: 20
Kudos: 50





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or any of the characters in Supernatural.

Jack just restored earth. Sure it was just this one, but that was because this was the earth he had spent the most time on. He knew there was much more to bring back, but it wasn’t as simple. Here he could remember and understand what the world was like and how it should be. Chuck didn’t make the other worlds the same. They were different and would require more time. Jack wanted to gain the right understanding. He didn’t want to mess up restoring all the lost worlds, all the lost souls, all the lost life. He wanted to make sure each world, earth was going to be alright without him constantly holding the reins. He wanted every soul to have their own choice and destiny. In order to do this he would need to take more time. That’s alright, he had plenty of time. This earth was fine, this world didn’t need him. The same couldn’t be said for the hundreds and thousands of other worlds, so for now he bid Sam and Dean fair well and went off to start the great revival, to start his job as the new god. 

Jack didn’t go straight to heaven. He had to make another stop. Jack knew he couldn’t bring back all the worlds alone. Well, he could but he didn’t want to. Sam and Dean finally got their lives back, they now had true free will. He wasn’t about to ruin that for the brothers. They deserved a chance to live their lives. Jack knew exactly who he wanted at his side, who he needed. Within moments Jack arrived before the empty. It didn’t take long to negotiate with the empty, all it wanted was peace. Chuck had destroyed that. As soon as Jack explained that he would be returning all the lost souls to their own worlds, and that he would work to ensure the empty would not be bothered again, the empty was rejoiced. They quickly agreed that Castiel would be sent to heaven. Once the deal is struck Jack relaxes and heads over to heaven to start making preparations. 

Heaven needed to be fixed as well. There were so many tasks and Jack was starting to feel overwhelmed. First things first, Jack needed to make his home. His immediate thought was the bunker. That has always been his home, where he felt the safest. However, that would remind him of Sam and Dean. He didn’t think he could handle that. After some thought he decided he would make a small cabin his home. The cabin he was born in. The place he met Sam and Dean, but wasn’t too attached to. That would be good. He would be reminded of the times he lived on earth, but would also be able to focus on his job. With that settled, Jack began. He quickly conjured the cabin and started setting everything up inside. He wanted to be ready for Cas. There was much to do and Jack was ready to get started.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have never done this before but I had an idea and I am trying this out. I can't promise that I will be consistent with updating but if people are interested in this story I will keep trying to write this out. 
> 
> In my head this story can take place with the finale that we were given. It is a way for me to fill in the holes that I wished we could get more information on. 
> 
> Hopefully others will read the story and give me advice as I navigate through this!


	2. Chapter 2

Castiel was shocked. He shouldn’t have been, all things considered he has known the Winchesters for years now. With everything they have been able to do, he should have known he’d be out of the empty. He just didn’t expect it to be so soon. Taking a moment to get used to his surroundings he realizes he isn’t on earth. He’s in heaven. Heaven is still chaotic, but things seem to be calming down? He couldn’t tell. Something was pulling him to the little cabin in the corner. After some time he recognized the cabin, this is where Jack was born. Before he could knock on the door Jack steps out to greet him with a tight embrace.

“I’ve been waiting,” he says into Castiel's shoulder. “You left without saying goodbye”

“I’m here now” Castiel says patting Jack's back. “What happened? Did you die again? How are you in heaven? How did I get out of the empty?” Cas starts rambling off all the questions running through his head. 

“Come inside, there is much to do.” Jack responds while gently leading Cas into the cabin. 

It’s now that Cas realizes Jack has a new aura, he seems to be wiser beyond his years, and more confident. Yet there was something else, Jack seemed troubled. He wasn’t burdened but he was struggling to grasp control. Similar to when he had found Jack after Billy had brought him back. Jack sat down motioning Cas to do the same.

Taking a seat Cas asks again, “what happened?” 

So Jack began, starting with his trip with Sam. How they failed. How everyone disappeared, everyone except the brothers and himself. How Lucifer and Michael arrived, the plan they made to defeat god. And finally how he himself had taken on the mantle now. 

“Sam and Dean's world is fine. It was easy to bring back to normal. The rest are proving to be more difficult. I need your help.” Jack pleads with a hopeful look in his eyes.

“Why are you reviving other worlds? Didn’t Chuck do that to make the perfect one? Wouldn’t it be better to focus on just the one?” Cas tilts his head in confusion. There is no need to have multiple worlds now that Jack was god. It just didn’t make sense. 

Shaking his head, Jack responds “No, no. You don’t understand. Some of these worlds still had life. Life similar to what we experienced. How can I deny any creature a life they once had? Even if I didn’t bring the other worlds back, the empty and other heavens wouldn’t be able to handle the souls.” Jack takes a deep breath “I wouldn’t be able to handle the feeling of all the lost souls. Cas, they don’t know what’s going on. They are in a sort of sleep state just hanging - neither dead nor alive. The only way I can help is by bringing them back. They wouldn’t need to know what happened. Once they are back they can continue their lives the way it was going before Chuck destroyed everything.”

Cas’s eyes sparkled with comprehension. Jack needs to bring back the other worlds. When Jack had obtained this power, all the souls, burdens and memories came along with it. Poor Jack had gone through so much in his short time alive. Despite it all he was still trying to do the right thing by everyone. The task has gotten more difficult now that he is god. He had to help Jack. The Winchesters would be fine. Right now Jack, his son, needed guidance and assistance. He couldn’t leave Jack alone. Heaven may not be his home anymore but if Jack is making it his, he would do everything to make sure Jack didn’t lose control of everything as Chuck had. “Of course I’ll help Jack. What do you need me to do?”

Sighing with relief jack starts listing his tasks, “Well, first I want to make sure this heaven is functioning smoothly. Too many souls were prisoners. We need to fix the system. Set up checks to make sure it won’t dismantle if I’m in other worlds. You will be the one in charge to ensure all the angels are on board and are progressing through the change.”

Cas nods making his own mental list of the things he’d change and which of his brothers and sisters to entrust the changes with. Which ones to set as the new management.

“While we do that I’ll try to harness my new power. Start with the completely destroyed worlds with no human life and bring back the plants, and animals that had survived.” Taking a short pause Jack looks to Cas, “Please stay with me, or at least check in on me from time to time. I don’t like being alone. I don’t want to end up like chuck”

Cas hugs Jack one more time. “I’m not leaving you. Let’s get started.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Cas and Jack had been reviewing the progress on other worlds. The worlds without the same souls were easiest to bring back. They would visit from time to time to see the angels and let them know of the new god. Jack would explain his expectations and under what circumstances he would intervene. He planned to intervene very rarely. Jack wanted to place trust upon each world and their inhabitants. They get to choose how they run the world. Unless he got prayers for drastic change from 90% of inhabitants he wasn’t planning on enforcing specific plans. He would lay out the general guidelines he expected and then leave. Every once in a while he would visit the actual world, seeing the inhabitants to ensure that they are happy and had free will the way they were meant to. 

The two of them had just returned to Jack's little cabin when they had felt the change. Dean was in heaven. Cas felt sadness creep over him. It hadn’t been long since everything had returned to normal on their world. How had he died so soon? Dean was supposed to live a long happy life. 

“You should go visit him. I’m sure he’d like to see you!” Jack encouraged. “He didn’t call for me to save him so I’d assume he was ready to come here.” 

Cas shook his head “he hasn’t called for me either. He may be mad or uncomfortable with the way I left him.” Cas sits down, “There are many others he’ll want to see before me” Cas sighs thinking of Bobby, John, Mary, the Harvelles, and Charlie. Soon after he said that he heard Dean’s call wondering where he is. He felt Dean’s joy knowing that he, Cas, was here in heaven. 

Cas turned and looked up as he felt a hand in his shoulder, “Go, visit him.” Jack softly urged once more. “He’s calling you, he wants to see you.”

That was enough for Cas to immediately teleport to Dean. It was time to see what happened. Time to be reunited. 

Cas made it to the place Dean was standing. It didn’t seem to be any significant location. Dean hadn’t noticed that he had arrived. In fact, it looked like Dean was lost in thought, staring out ahead of him. Cas didn’t move closer, he stayed where he was as he called out the way he had many times before. 

“Hello Dean”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or any of the characters in the show.

Dean looked around, everything was bright, and peaceful. Nothing like hell or purgatory. “I guess I made it into heaven after all” he mumbled to himself. That’s when he heard Bobby. The two sat down and chatted for a while. 

Bobby had said that Cas was here. If he was here why hasn’t he come to visit yet? He was probably busy. Bobby did say that Cas was helping Jack restore heaven to all its glory. The problem was Dean didn’t know where to go. He saw Baby and jumped in to take a drive. Now that he was on the road he had no idea where he would drive to. 

He had always considered the bunker to be home, however, he didn’t think he could stay there alone. It wouldn’t be the same especially without Sam. He tried pushing the thoughts aside for now as he drove. He quickly realized that it wasn’t working. He wished Cas was here. Dean pulled over and started walking towards a lake. He wasn’t sure which lake it was but it seemed like a peaceful place to stop and think. Staring out to the horizon he started to take it all in. He was in heaven. He shouldn’t have to worry anymore. 

“Hello Dean” a deep voice called out from behind him. 

He knew that voice anywhere. His best friend in the trench coat. He finally made it. 

“What took you so long?” Dean asks, still staring at the water. He wasn’t sure he could handle looking at Cas. Hearing his voice was bringing back all the memories of when the empty had taken him away. 

“I wasn’t sure you’d want to see me”

Dean spun around at that, “What?”

“The way I left, it was so abrupt and I didn’t give you a chance to know what was happening. I never thought I’d make it out of the empty again. I never thought I’d see you again.”

Dean starts picking at his jacket, “You were gone. You were there one second and the next you were gone. Cas, I couldn’t move, I couldn’t think or feel. I didn’t understand.” He looks down as Cas takes a step forward. “Sam called me afterwards --- multiple times. I couldn’t answer. I didn’t even tell him the whole thing.” By now Cas was right in front of Dean. “You were gone right when I needed you the most”

“It was the only way to stop Billie”

“I know, I see that now”, Dean finally looks up at Cas, looking at his eyes. “I’m not good at this, just … ugh Cas I’m not worth it”

“That’s not true”

“I … I…” Dean was struggling to say how he was feeling. Cas was standing right in front of him and it still didn’t seem real. His mind was blank. There was so much to tell Cas but he didn’t know where to begin. “I… I don’t know what to say. Just this once, you can read my mind, or listen in or whatever ok?”

Cas took that as his cue and reached out to Dean. The moment his fingers touched Dean’s shoulder he could feel everything. Cas immediately felt everything that Dean wanted to express but didn’t know how. All the pain, worry, regret along with the relief, excitement and happiness now that they were reunited. The grief he had felt on earth, the current fear that this moment wasn’t real. The need to be together. Everything.

“You don’t need to say anything, I know,” Cas says as he pulls Dean into a hug. “I’m not going anywhere, I won’t leave again”

Dean grips Cas’s trench coat tightly, scared that Cas might disappear, “Good. I don’t know where to go if you and Sam aren’t with me.”

“About that, why aren’t you at the bunker?” Cas slowly pulls away, wanting to see Dean’s face.

Dean stared at Cas, shocked he would mention it. “How could I go there alone? At least on earth Sam was there but now if I went there all I could think about was the empty taking you away.”

“Right, maybe we can find a different spot.”

“Where have you been staying? With the angels?”

“No, I was actually staying with Jack. You should join, Jack wouldn’t mind.”

“If Jack is fine with it I’d like that. I miss the kid.”

“Let’s go!” Cas exclaims as they head over to Baby. 

The two of them drive over to Jack’s cabin. Jack was thrilled to have Dean staying with him. It was starting to feel like old times. Everyone missed Sam, but life continued. Jack would share his drafts of the worlds with Cas and Dean. When Jack and Cas would visit the other worlds, Dean would go out to visit his old friends, the other hunters and his parents. In the end, the three of them would always end up together in the little cabin. Some days they would play games, making Jack feel like a child. Other days they would sit down and watch the popular shows and movies from earth. They would work hard but also make sure to take some time to relax and have fun. This was heaven after all, if they weren’t happy here then they never would be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for any grammatical errors. I am trying my best to catch them all but probably will miss things.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or any of the characters in Supernatural.

Somethings wrong. Jack couldn’t see the world. He could feel it’s presence but he couldn’t see it. There were souls and everything seemed normal, except he couldn’t see it. He couldn’t hear it, he couldn’t get any sense of what was happening. Jack started pacing around the cabin. Working though each revived world one at a time trying to see if there were any other worlds with a similar problem. 

Flipping through each world he couldn’t figure out what the problem was. Every other world was fine, working the way it should. Why couldn’t he reach this one? He tried reaching out over and over. He couldn’t even visit without a clear picture of where he was aiming to go. Racking through his brain he searched within his power trying to find the right source to get past these walls around the world he created. He could feel the darkness getting restless but he had to keep trying. It just wasn’t making any sense.

“Hey Kid!”

“Kid!”

“Snap out of it!” 

Jack opens his eyes, he didn’t even realize when he had closed them. His hands were shaking, his head throbbing. He took in his surroundings, he was outdoors. On an empty road, Cas was looking down at him, concern etched over his face and blue eyes. Dean was holding him. They both were on the ground, the gravel was digging into his body. He turned again seeing the impala a few feet away. How did he end up here? He was in his cabin? He feels pressure around his shoulders. He turns to Dean. He could see his mouth moving but no sounds were coming out. He feels Cas touch his cheek and can see his mouth moving as well. He couldn’t hear anything. His body feels heavy and numb. His mind is still running, racing around the other worlds, trying to make sense of the one with the walls. “Somethings wrong,” Jack gasps as exhaustion takes over and he falls limp in Dean's arms. 

Jack wakes to an overwhelming sense of coolness at his forehead. He can feel angels grace at work around him trying to keep him calm. Slowly opening his eyes recognizes his cabin. Dean and Cas are in the kitchen while he is lying on the couch. He felt more in control again, if he wanted he could listen to Dean and Cas’s conversation but he didn’t like to eavesdrop. Dean had made it very clear in the past he didn’t want him or Cas to do so. Something about the invasion of privacy. So instead he slowly reaches up and removes the wet towel from his forehead. It was amazing how such a simple thing could release the great buildup of tension. 

“Jack! Are you alright?” Cas exclaimed as he rushed towards Jack. 

“Kid you really scared us, showing up out of nowhere right in the middle of the road. What happened?” Dean brought over a glass of water “Sure you may be god and all but water always seems to help right?”, Dean shrugged.

Jack gratefully accepted the water. Dean was right, even though he was almighty now he still preferred the human way. It calmed him and reminded him of the amazing things humans could do with so little. It was how he was raised.

“Jack?” Dean asks once more, looking concerned again.

Jack placed the empty cup down in front of him. “Somethings wrong,” Jack started looking up at Cas and Dean. “I can’t see or feel the newest world I revived.” Jack rubbed his temples trying to ease the frustration that was starting to build up again. “I can feel that I did bring the world back, I feel the presence of the souls of that world…. I just can’t see them or hear them. It’s like there is a wall or a dome around that world and only that world.” 

“So how did you end up on the road? You were shaking. It looked like you were having a seizure!” Dean exclaimed, still confused about how everything was connected.

“I don’t know. I was here trying to reach that world and next thing I knew I was with both of you” Jack replied. He still felt drained. This was not normal. 

“Jack, do you feel in control?” Cas asked cautiously.

Jack frowned. “Yeah why?” 

“When you showed up in the middle of the road you weren’t just shaking, you kept muttering ‘it’s wrong, somethings wrong’. Once you collapsed the darkness started to escape. I had to bind you to guide it back in.” 

So that’s why he felt the grace around him. He quickly sent it back to Cas and reached out to the darkness living within him. The darkness seemed fine, it was a little restless but that was normal considering how flustered he was at the moment. “I’m fine, I have control. The darkness is still in harmony with the light”. 

“Jack you are losing power, I’m not sure how or why but you are. The darkness should not have been able to leave so easily. Is it resisting you?” Cas questions. 

“No, it feels fine now, if anything it is trying to help me find the world. It senses the frustration within me and wants to ease the pain, find the balance. A balance that can be achieved once the walls are down from the other world.” 

“So what’s the plan? Are we making a trip to this ‘other world’? Just hop on over, kick down a wall and hop back?” Dean asks.

“No Dean, we need to know a location to open a portal. Angels can’t dimension hop. I guess Jack can but he’d also need to know the location or he can get lost in the vast networks between all the worlds. Jack is still new to this and it’s too early for him to experiment with dimension hopping.” Cas explains. “We need to research, look through old scriptures written by Chuck to see if this has happened before.” 

“Right” Dean grumbled, “let’s hit the books”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let the mystery begin! I am excited to start expanding the story from here. So what do you think?


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or any characters from the show.

“You need to stop” Cas sternly chastised Jack “You keep draining yourself every time you try to break down the walls.”

“We haven’t found anything and this is the only way I can try to check in!” Jack cried. The pain was beginning to grow as the throbbing continued. “I can’t stop or else I’ll lose the balance between light and darkness. You’re right I am losing control but I don’t know how. No one else can handle this power to even split or share it. What can I do other than keep trying Cas?”

“It’s time we truly consider the other option” Cas says while helping Jack sit down. Jack was still trembling but at least they weren’t in a seizure mode anymore. 

“I really don’t want to do that” Jack's voice barely mumbling. “I don’t want to do that to you, to Dean. To Sam.” He sighs. “You know he has a kid now? His own new family. I don’t want to ruin that…”

“It’s the only option I can think of. And we need to try it before you completely lose control or drain all your power to this unknown.” Cas responds.

“What exactly are you two talking about?” Dean asks as he drops another book into the done pile. “Are you guys keeping secrets again? You know this never ends well for us!” 

Cas gives Jack a knowing look. Jack accepts defeat and turns back to Dean, “I think we need to bring Sam here. He is the only hunter who has experience with spells. He may be able to create a spell to get us to the other world.”

“Ok… and what’s the problem with that?”

“Well I’d have to erase his memories of anytime he’s in heaven. And possibly both of your memories as well.”

Dean stares at Jack, “What!?”

“It was the deal made with the rest of the angels. If anyone other than angels or jack visits heaven their memories of heaven will be erased once they leave.” Cas explains. “They didn’t want hunters to be able to come and go as they please, and Jack doesn’t want to mess with Sam’s memories, so he didn’t bring up the option.”

Dean looks between Cas and Jack, his lips pursed. It’s clear that they both were stretching themselves thin trying to figure out what had happened to the other world. He himself wasn’t getting anywhere with his research. Seeing Sam honestly sounded like a great option. “Why don’t you ask him? Tell him the jist,” Dean waves his hands making random gestures, “ how you will have to change his memories and stuff. Then if he’s still interested he can come.”

With Cas and Dean onboard Jack agreed. He left immediately, leaving Cas and Dean in the cabin. 

“Do you think he’ll come?” Dean asked quietly. “Is he even hunting anymore?”

“He still does the occasional hunt” Cas responds “Do you want to go for a drive?”

Dean glances outside looking at his baby, “How about we take a walk instead.” Cas nods and follows Dean out the door. “So, you’ve been keeping tabs on him?” Dean asks as they start their walk. 

“Yes, he’s my friend too Dean”

“I know that, I meant…..” Dean pauses a moment collecting his thoughts, “How is he? Is he happy?”

“He’s happy Dean. It took him some time but you left him a great group of people to go to. He stayed with Donna for a while, helping her with some cases. Then he moved in with Eileen. They started their own family.” 

Dean’s muscles relax as he hears about Sam’s life. “Why didn’t you ever tell me before?”

Cas shrugged, “You never asked. And there was nothing to worry about.”

“I’m glad he’s happy. He deserves to be happy. To have his own family.”

Cas stops mid step pulling Dean close to him. “You deserve to be happy too,” he said firmly, looking straight into Dean’s eyes. “When I heard you had died so soon I was sad, you never got to live a full life. You never got to raise your own family”

“I am happy Cas. I’m here with you. That’s all I need. I knew I’d die young. I was the one who brought Sammy back into the life. There was always a part of me that worried he lost his entire chance to have a normal life since I’d forced him to leave college. But now he’s got it.”

“You’re sure that you’re happy? This is your heaven and I’m still dragging you into hunts”

“Cas, this is the only life I know. And Jack, Jack is just as much my kid as you think of him as yours. I don’t care if he’s god, if he needs help I’ll be there for him all the way. Whatever it takes.” Dean reaches out to grab Cas’s hand, “How many times do I have to tell you, family doesn’t end with blood.”

Jack reappeared in front of the two men. 

“Where’s Sam?” Cas asks tilting his head to the side.

“I gave him a few days to think it over, then if he chooses he can come through a portal that will lead him directly to the cabin. I thought it was the best way to make it entirely his choice”

Dean nodded, understanding where the kid was coming from. “What about you? Are you going to be alright?”

“I’m still drained, but I don’t want to sit around the cabin waiting. Can we…” Jack looked longingly at Dean.

Dean laughs, “You want to drive Baby?”

Jack looks down, slightly embarrassed. It was one thing he had wanted to do but had been too scared to ask Dean since Dean had got here.

“Of course kid, let’s go. We could all use a drive to take our mind off things.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm working on making some of the future chapters a little longer, but for now what do you all think? 
> 
> Also does anyone have any suggestions for shows I should watch?


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Don't own supernatural or the characters.

Sam placed his glass of water down and grabbed his readers. Dean had asked him to review his college essays. He was so proud of Dean, he was just like his brother, he reminded him of everything his older brother would do. Now his little Dean was old enough to head off to college. He would help him and be supportive, something he had wanted from John. He hoped he was a better father, a more supportive and understanding one. He didn’t hide the supernatural from Dean. How could he? Both his parents are hunters, Dean was bound to find out. God forbid Dean finds out as a victim. No he and Elieen worked together to teach Dean about the monsters, but also keep him safe and give him as normal of a childhood he could have. Sam smiled reminiscing as he picked up the hard copy of the essay. 

“Hi”

Sam jumped, hand already reaching towards the drawer with his gun. “J-Jack?” Sam stutters with shock.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. I have been standing here for a while.”Jack says tilting his head.

The action reminded Sam of Cas, and he immediately felt a tightening feeling in his chest. It has been so long since he had lost Cas and Dean. A lifetime has passed but there are still moments where it feels as though it was just yesterday. Pulling himself together Sam lets go of the drawer, he doesn’t need his gun. He calms himself down.  _ It’s just Jack. Wait it's Jack, why is he here, it has been over a decade since he had seen Jack _ .

“Is everything ok Jack?”

“Not quite, I need your help.”

Sam immediately straightens up, “Of course, what do you need? We can leave right now. I don’t think there are any hunts close by anyways. Let me just tell Eile—”

“Sam, you haven’t even heard what's going on” Jack interrupts him.

“Jack, you are god, if you need help then I would drop everything in a heartbeat, I don’t need much more than that”

Jack shakes his head, Sam wasn’t understanding. He wasn’t taking the time to think things through like he normally did. Or at least how he had in the past. It must be the shock of seeing him again after so long. “No Sam, this is a much bigger deal, and I am not ordering you to help. I am asking you. Can we sit down to chat?”

Sam motioned to the couch. Jack sat down taking a moment to think about how he would phrase this. He should have made a better plan, come prepared with a speech. Maybe even one of those cheesy presentations with posters or a slideshow. Jack notices his palms are sweaty. He wipes them on his pants and decides to just start talking. Hopefully as he starts the words will just come to him. 

“I’ve been working on reviving the other worlds. Restoring all the souls and life in these other worlds.” Jack pauses as he sees Sam nodding. “It has been a difficult task, but I’m working through it. Once I revive a world I can feel it. Not only can I feel it, I can see it and hear it no matter where I am.” Jack absentmindedly starts picking the buttons on his jacket, “There is one world I restored that I can’t see or hear. I can feel it’s existence but I can’t reach it like I can reach the others. Every time I try I hit these walls. When I try to break down the walls my powers are drained. Apparently it gets so bad that I have seizures and the darkness starts escaping.”

Sam stiffened at the mention of the darkness. He never understood the darkness, but he did fear it. 

“I can’t lose my power, I can’t let the darkness loose. The problem is, the darkness and my powers are restless. They need to see and hear all creations. This walled world is causing problems. I’m slowly losing control, Sam, I need help.” 

“How can I help? This is an entirely different world!” Sam desperately wants to help Jack but he’s not sure how he can be of assistance. 

“We need you to make a spell. Some way to transport us to a world we can not see. To do this I would bring you to heaven. Dean and Cas have been researching trying to help. Together we would visit this world and take down the walls from the inside. Sam, the problem is if I bring you to heaven I’d have to erase your memories for when you return. It’s the new system the angels have in place.”

Sam jumps at the idea of seeing Dean and Cas again! “That’s not a problem Jack”

“I haven’t gone through anyone’s memories yet, it may erase some of your current memories. Especially since you see your brother in your son.”

At that Sam freezes. He doesn’t want to lose anything with his current family. Sam really wants to see his brother, but what about little Dean? His little Dean who is about to go off to college. 

“Will I lose time in this world? Will time pass here while I am with you?” Sam asks nervously. He is scared to hear the answer.

“No, I can send you back to the time that you left, maybe a few hours later. I doubt it would be longer than that. If I have to change your memories it wouldn’t do me well to put you back with a prolonged period of time gone.” Jack responds. 

Sam calms down a little. That didn’t sound as bad. He wouldn’t lose any time at home. He might just lose some of his memories. He could get Eileen to play it off as old age or something right? But would Eileen be alright with that? Would Dean be alright with it? He needed to talk it out with them. Maybe not Dean. He didn’t want his son to worry. Maybe he would just speak with his wife. Sam was thanking his lucky stars for having a wife who was a hunter. It made having a family easier than he thought it would be. 

Jack notices Sam’s inner battle. “You don’t need to answer now. Take some time, a day or two. Talk it over with Eileen. Time moves differently in heaven.” Jack comforts Sam. “If you decide to come use this,” Jack hands a small vial with some white wisps floating around. “It’s enough grace to open a portal directly to my cabin.” 

Sam takes the vial holding onto it tightly. He isn’t sure what to say. 

“It’s your choice Sam. I won’t mind either way. I have to go now.” Jack takes one more look at Sam before leaving “Bye Sam.” and with that he’s gone leaving Sam alone in the room still gripping the vial. 


	7. Chapter 7

Eileen finds Sam still standing in the room. She looks around. “Is Jack gone already?” 

Sam nods, “Yeah he had to go.”

“What’s going on? Do we need to help?” 

“Um, kind of? I may need to go to heaven. But if I do I might lose my memories.”

Eileen looked confused so Sam sat her down to explain the situation. By the time he finished it was pretty late into the night. 

“What do you want to do?” Eileen asks softly. 

Sam grabbed Eileen’s hand. “I don’t know. I want to help, I want to see Dean and Cas again. But I don’t want to risk losing time and memories of us, our family.” 

“Let’s go to bed. We can think about it in the morning.”

Eileen and Sam quickly run through the house, making sure all the doors were locked and all the protective sigils were intact. Once they were done the two head up to their room. Sam stopped by Dean’s room wanting to check in on his son. He was fast asleep. Sam smiled and closed the door. In his room he picked up the photo of him, his brother, Cas and Jack. It was ages ago but seeing Jack today was bringing up lots of memories. Eileen touched his shoulder, “Get some sleep, everything will be clear in the morning” She says, slowly pulling the picture out of Sam’s hands and placing it back on the nightstand. As soon as Sam lays down he goes into a deep dreamless slumber.

Sam feels sunlight creeping in through his blinds. He was late. He normally wakes up earlier and goes for a quick early morning jog. He groans as he turns around to see that Eileen had already gotten up. If his wife had made it out of bed that means he is very late. Sam rolls out of bed and heads over to take a shower before heading down to greet his wife. 

“You didn’t wake me up,” Sam says while hugging Eileen from behind.

“You needed the rest. I reviewed Dean’s essay this morning and gave it back to him” Eileen responds while handing Sam a cup of coffee. 

“Thanks!” Sam gives Elieen a quick kiss. “Where is he anyways?”

“He went over to Andy’s. They apparently had plans to play that new game.” 

“Of course,” Sam chuckles. 

“I’m headed to the store, do you need anything?” 

“No, I don’t think so.” Sam says while grabbing Eileen's arm. She turns around raising her eyebrows in a questioning manner. “Eileen, I think I am going to go.”

Sam had thought about this decision while he was showering. He had to go help Jack. There was only a chance that he would lose his current memories, and that was if Jack accidentally took them. Sam had more faith in Jack than Jack did in himself.

She nods, “I thought so, are you leaving now?”

Sam shook his head, he wasn’t worried about losing his memories as Jack had warned. He was more concerned that Jack needed his assistance in getting to another world. This was not something that he had any experience in. Sure Sam had gone to other worlds, or met other versions of himself and his brother. But the last time they had to go they just used archangel grace. If this wasn’t an option then he’d need to do more research. “No, I want to research a bit first. Have some ideas before I go.” 

“Alright, well I should be back before you head out.” 

“You’re ok with this right?”

“Sam, it’s your family that you are helping. Of course I am ok with it. Now go hurry up and get that research done!” Eileen pushes Sam over to his office. 

Sam really had the best family. He couldn’t have asked for anything more. Now that it was clear that he would be heading over to heaven Sam had to start going through all the spells in his office. Rowena’s books seemed to be the best place to start. 

Sam couldn’t find anything that seemed like it would solve their problem. Instead of finding the perfect spell Sam was now reviewing the books to take notes. Get the basic understanding of what ingredients and phrases might be the most helpful. Maybe he could create his own spell for this purpose. Sam was deep in his book when Eileen had arrived home. 

“Sam” Eileen called out. 

Sam looked up to his wife, “Yeah”

“Donna just called, she needs help with a hunt. I told her you were busy but we are the closest to the hunt. I think I will go. Do you think Dean will be alright?”

“That’s fine, go. Dean is an adult, he can stay home alone, or he can head over to his friend’s until you are back. I’ll try to talk to him before leaving. Also Jack said time moves differently in heaven. He said that once I leave and come back not much time should have passed. Especially if I am not supposed to remember my time in heaven.” 

Eileen nods, “Ok, all my things are ready, I’ll text Dean once I get to Donna’s.” Eileen makes her way over to Sam and gives him a quick kiss. “Be safe.” 

“You too” Sam responds, giving her a quick hug before walking her to the garage. “Go save some people.” 

After Eileen drove off Sam went back to his office. He still had a few more books to review but he wanted to tell Dean that both his parents would be gone. He grabbed his phone and sent a quick message, telling him that he could stay at home or go to a friend’s. Sam waited a few minutes to see if Dean would respond. No responses came. In the past Sam would immediately start worrying but Dean had said that he was going to be with his friends today. They often would get lost in those video games of theirs so Sam decided to go back to his books. 

Once Sam got a message from Eileen that she had reached safely Sam decided it was time for him to head over to heaven. He didn’t have a complete spell yet but he had the start of one. He could ask Cas and Jack to get the necessary supplies and maybe his brother could help him figure out the rest of the spell. Sam looked to his phone once more, his son hadn’t responded to his message. Eileen had said that she would talk to him so maybe he had already spoken to his mother. Hoping that was the case Sam put his phone away and started packing his bag. 

Everything was all set and Sam was ready to open the portal to transport him to heaven. He took out the small vial Jack had given him. As he opened the vial the sliver of grace made its way out and started to make a slight crackling sound. Did Sam have to do anything else? Jack hadn’t given him any more instructions on how to open the portal. Sam started worrying as the grace seemed to stay floating in the air, not doing anything. Sam didn’t know what else to do, so he waited a few more minutes hoping that the portal would form. Luckily he didn’t need to wait long. Within moments the sliver of grace started to expand into the long orange portal opening that Sam recognized from years ago. Picking up his bag Sam goes straight through, excited to be reunited with his brother and friends. 

The first thing Sam noticed once he made it through was a sense of calmness surrounding him. Heaven was peaceful and beautiful. Sam was still taking in the serenity of it all when he heard someone calling him.

“Sammy?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't sure where to end the last chapter and start this one so I just put them both up at once. Hope you all like the story so far! Anyone have any suggestions?


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or any of the characters in Supernatural.

Dean, Cas and Jack were sitting outside eating burgers. They had decided to have a mini barbecue just the three of them. It was Dean’s suggestion. He was worried about Jack. Jack couldn’t stop trying to break the walls. Every time he tried he seemed to be getting more exhausted. It was taking him longer to recover each time. Despite all his efforts Jack wasn’t any closer to chipping away at the wall. He had told Dean that the wall seemed to be getting stronger. Jack had another seizure. Luckily he didn’t teleport himself away this time. Dean and Cas were next to him within seconds and Cas immediately surrounded Jack with his grace making sure the darkness wouldn’t escape. Jack didn’t snap out of it as quickly this time. 

By the time Jack had regained his senses and was able to recognize his surroundings Cas was exhausted. Dean felt useless. Both Jack and Cas were over exerting themselves with their powers and all he could do was watch. Neither would listen when he asked them to take a break. He knew something had to be done so he decided to pin it on himself. He sat both of them down and explained how the stress was getting to him. He needed some time with the two where they weren’t researching or trying to jump to the problem world. He wanted this barbecue. If there was anything Dean enjoyed it was cooking for his family. So Jack and Cas agreed, they promised not to talk about the problem world during this barbecue. It was desperately needed anyways, the two needed some time to replenish their powers, to be fully charged for their next attempt. 

In the beginning it was quiet and tense. Jack felt like he was wasting valuable time. After some time Dean and Cas started sharing stories and Jack quickly forgot his worries. Dean looked at Cas and Jack, both laughing and stress free. These rare moments made Jack still seem like a kid. He wished Jack didn’t have the weight of the universe on his shoulders. Jack deserved to have these moments all the time. The kid had to grow up way too fast. Dean thought he saw a flicker of movement to the right. Cas and Jack hadn’t noticed, still deep in some story about the time Cas and Dean were in purgatory. Dean turns to see who had joined them. Nobody usually made their way to this corner of heaven. A tall figure was standing in the open grass. His long hair blowing gently in the wind. Dean's heart starts beating faster. Could it be him? It had been so long. 

“Sammy?” Dean calls out to the figure. He sees the man turn around. It’s clearly Sam. Dean rushes over. 

“Dean?” Sam responds trying to get a better look at his brother. “Cas?”

Dean finally makes it to Sam and immediately gives him a hug. 

“Sam, it’s nice to see you again,” Cas says, placing his hand on Sam’s shoulder. 

“It’s been so long,” Sam says, trying to hold back his tears. 

Dean lets go of Sam, “So who is this other guy?”

“What other guy? I came here alone.” Sam responds confused.

“The guy right behind you Sammy, have your senses gotten so bad you don’t notice when people are behind you?” Dean asks while turning his brother around. “You better not be hunting alone!”

Sam’s eyes widen, “What are  _ you _ doing here?”

“Heh, um hi dad,” the boy gives a small awkward wave.

“Dean, what are you doing here?” Sam asks again more sternly.

“Would you believe me if I said I accidentally fell through the portal?” The boy sheepishly asks.

“Accident— are you kidding me of course I don’t believe that!” Sam’s voice starts rising. 

“Wait, you named your kid after me?” Sam hears his brother behind him. Sam gives his brother a quick glare, now is not the time. 

His brother takes a step back and stands next to Cas. He barely hears him mumble “that’s awesome! We can call him Junior.”

Sam turns back to his son, staring expectedly. “So, are you going to give me a  _ real  _ answer?”

“It was kind of real! I had just come home and I saw you go through. I thought something was pulling you so I came to help!”

“You thought something was pulling me? So what did you bring?”

“Umm”

“So let me get this straight. You thought I was being possessed or manipulated or something so you followed me through a portal to help me. But you didn’t bring anything? Dean! I don’t even need to tell you how stupid that is!” Sam was yelling now, “You knew I was going to leave!”

“No I didn’t!” his son's voice was rising as well.

“I texted you!”

“My phone died.”

“Your phone died! That’s your excuse?”

“Yeah dad, it happens.”

The two continued to argue while Jack Cas and Dean (older Dean) stood to the side. They weren’t sure whether to intervene or if the situation would quickly resolve itself. 

“I don’t see what the big deal is!” the kid yelled back.

“You don’t see what the big deal is! Well, Dean, the big deal is you shouldn’t be here! It could be dangerous you don’t know what you walked into. You blindly went into a situation with nothing! What if I had been possessed or something?”

“But you're not, clearly. So everything is fine.”

“Dean, _ I  _ don’t entirely know what’s going on here and  _ I  _ have a lifetime of experience over you.”

“So teach me! Wouldn’t this be the best learning experience?”

“No!”

“What! Why?”

“Maybe…” both Sam and his son turn when they hear Jack interrupt their argument. “Maybe we should take this inside?” Sam sighs and agrees. The five of them quietly walk over to Jack’s cabin. They all take a seat, the tension still thick in the air.

“Jack, send him back,” Sam says pointing at his son.

“What! No please!” His son pleads

“You are going home.” Sam says firmly

“You can’t do this! I’m an adult, you can’t just choose everything in my life!”

“I’m your father and you will listen to me, your mom would agree with me on this.” Sam turns back to Jack, “Can you send him back now?”

Jack gives a short nod

“I HATE you!” 

Sam’s heart stops, he closes his eyes. He knows realistically his son doesn’t hate him but it still hurts. His son just didn’t understand that he didn’t want him to get hurt. “You are still going home.” 

Jack stands up making his way over to the youngest member in the room. “I’m sorry” Jack says softly as he reaches out to the child’s forehead. The moment Jack touched him something happened. Jack saw something, he couldn’t understand what but it was clearly not the child’s memories. It was different, it was a small glimpse of the problem world. It was the only glimpse he had been able to see so far. There was a girl, with black hair and brown eyes. Her eyes, there was something in her eyes. Fear. She looked so scared. Jack tried to call out to her but he couldn’t. The girl was talking, maybe she was praying. Jack couldn’t hear. He tried reaching out to her but as he did everything turned back. Jack cried out, “No come back!” This was the only glimpse he had of the problem world and it was not a reassuring one. Jack couldn’t see anything anymore, he felt tired, I couldn’t feel his feet. He couldn’t hear anything again. Before he could assess where he was he collapsed once more still trembling. His mind was racing, he had to find that girl. The girl was calling him and he had to help. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Don't own supernatural or the characters.

Sam was trying to calm his son down. The poor kid was hyperventilating. Jack had touched his forehead and suddenly started convulsing. Sam knew that Jack was having seizures but he didn’t expect them to be so bad. “Breathe in and out slowly,” Sam directed his son. “There you go, just like that.” 

Sam turned to his brother and Cas. They were trying to calm Jack down. The two were so in sync, running around the cabin grabbing things they knew would help Jack regain consciousness. “No come back!” they heard Jack cry. His brother immediately ran back to Jack’s side.

“Kid! Come on kid, get up! Jack!” Dean and Cas were gently coaxing Jack out of this state. Jack was no longer seizing. He was still. Cas seemed exhausted. Sam couldn’t tell for sure but it looked like Cas was using his grace to calm Jack down. Sam turned back to his son making sure he was alright. His son was now curled up in a ball staring at Jack.

Jack suddenly shot upward. He was gasping for air while sitting on the couch. “He ne- ..” Jack was still trying to catch his breath. He slowly lifts his arm and points to Sam’s son, “He needs to stay.”

Everyone turns to look at the child in the room. He was still curled up staring at Jack. Something had clearly happened but neither of the boys were explaining anything yet. 

Sam hears his brother clear his throat, “Well if he’s staying I vote to call him Junior! What do you say kiddo?”

His son nods. “That's fine,” he mumbles.

“Good, so Junior, you need anything? Water? Food? A hot shower?” Dean started asking his nephew. The poor kid was terrified and everyone was staring at him.

“Water?” Junior asked timidly.

Dean gets up to go grab two glasses of water, he hands the first glass to Junior and the second one to Jack. The two slowly drink the water, neither saying anything else. 

“Well, whenever you are ready we’d love to be caught up on the situation.” Dean says calmly waiting for Jack and Junior to speak. 

Cas slowly makes his way over to Dean, resting his head on Dean’s shoulder. Dean immediately gives Cas a short squeeze, “You need anything?” Dean asks Cas. Cas shook his head and leaned back, letting his body relax. 

Everything was silent for another five minutes. Dean and Cas knew that Jack needed some time to recover before he could speak comfortably. They have been working with Jack for some time now. It was a sad norm for them. They also didn’t want to force Junior, especially since they didn’t know him that well. Sam seemed frozen, trying to wrap his head around everything that happened. 

“I saw a girl,” Jack starts. “She was from the problem world. Cas, she looked so scared!” 

Cas tried to get up to move closer to Jack but his arms were shaking. He was too tired to move. He’d used too much of his energy and grace to keep Jack’s seizure down. Dean gently pushed Cas to lay down on the couch. Once Cas was lying comfortably he got up and moved to sit next to Jack, placing a comforting arm around his shoulder. Jack immediately leaned into Dean appreciating the support. 

“I couldn’t hear her, I saw her mouth moving but I couldn’t hear her. I tried reaching out to her but the walls started closing in around her.” Jack curled up into Dean's arms. “Her eyes, you could see the fear in her eyes. I couldn’t help her Dean. I can’t stop seeing her eyes.” Jack was crying into Dean’s shoulder. Jack was god but he felt so powerless. 

Dean kept trying to sooth Jack, muttering “It’s going to be ok. We’ll find her. I promise we’ll help her.” Jack just curled in making himself into a smaller ball while trying to pull himself together. 

“I’ve been dreaming about her,” Junior mentions quietly. 

Sam moves closer to his son, “Since when?”

“A few days. I … I didn’t know who she was. I still don’t. Sometimes she’s scared, screaming for help. Others she’s running away.” Junior says with a haunted look in his eyes. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Sam asks.

“I thought it was just a recurring nightmare. I didn’t know…”

“Dean” Sam turns to Junior locking eyes, “Please, please go home. You aren’t ready for this.”

Junior shrugged away from his dad, “You’re still going to send me home! After what I told you? After  _ he”  _ Junior points towards Jack, “said I need to stay?” 

“We’ll be walking in blind, I don’t want you to get hurt” Sam tried explaining his fears of having his son on the hunt. 

“You’re ridiculous!” Junior exclaimed. 

Jack started feeling more in control and decided to sit up again. He still holds onto Dean for support. “I was finally able to get a peek into the problem world when I touched him” Jack says, eyes shifting towards Junior. “Junior may be able to help, he might be the key to getting us to the problem world. Sam… I know you want me to send him back, but if Junior still wants to stay I say he should.”

“Well that’s that. I’m staying.” Junior says firmly. 

Sam looks around helplessly. Dean desperately wanted to comfort his younger brother but Jack was still leaning on him for support. He locked eyes with Sam and tried to give a supportive glance. 

“We’ll look out for him. We’ll keep him safe” Dean says, directing his words to his brother. “We always look out for our own.”

Sam sighed knowing that there was nothing more he could do. He had to accept that his kid was joining them on this hunt. “Well I guess we should do official introductions.” Sam says resignedly. He reaches out to Junior but he shifts away again. Sam takes his arm back hurt by the small action. 

“Well this is Dean, or as you all are calling him ‘Junior’. And  _ Junior _ , this is Castiel, Uncle Dean, and Jack.” Sam hesitated at calling his son ‘Junior’ it was weird but it made sense. It would get confusing pretty quickly if both his son and brother were going by ‘Dean’. His son already seemed to accept it anyways. 

“Hi Junior,” Cas says slowly standing up and making his way to the boy. “We are all happy to meet you!” Cas says while shaking his hand. 

Junior nods, “um you all look the same as your pictures. I’ve heard so many stories. I’m excited to actually meet you!” 

“Junior it’s getting late, would you like to take a shower? Dinner will be ready once you’re done.” Dean says softly. 

Junior nods, he’d love to get some time alone to gather his thoughts. 

“Great, Cas. Will you show them their rooms? I’ll get the food.” 

“Sure, if you two will follow me” Cas says while slowly making his way towards the stairs. Cas wasn’t back to his usual self yet but he wasn’t shaking anymore. He started feeling more energized as he showed Junior and Sam around the cabin. 

“Do you need anything else champ?” Dean asks Jack. 

“I’m fine Dean. Let’s go. I'll help with dinner.”

“No, you’ll be sitting down at the table relaxing,” Dean states while helping Jack towards the table. 

“At least let me cut stuff or toss a salad.”

“Fine.” Dean smiles as he gives in. He hands Jack everything he needs to make the salad. “I’m making pasta.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am looping in Sam's son into this story. I hope you don't mind me calling him Junior, it was getting confusing to keep calling him Dean. 
> 
> Also I'm trying to see if I can post once in the middle of the week and again on the weekend. Though some of you probably noticed that sometimes I get excited and post multiple chapters. (I guess I'll be keeping you on your toes...)


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or the characters. (duh)

“Anything I can do to help?” Cas asks while entering the kitchen.

“Just set the table and relax” Dean responds while draining his pasta. “I’m almost done.” The oven timer went off and Dean quickly went to grab the garlic bread before it burned. 

Once Dean finished up he placed all the food on the table and sat down with Cas and Jack. The three of them waited for Sam and Junior to join. Soon after Sam walked into the kitchen and sat down.

“How are you Cas?” Sam asked, wanting to catch up with his old friend.

The two jumped into an easy conversation while Jack and Dean listened in. Junior came down moments later and took the last seat at the table.

“Great let’s dig in!” Dean exclaimed as Junior sat down. Everyone started helping themselves.

All conversation had stopped once Junior entered the room and it was making Junior uncomfortable. Dean was about to ask a question when Junior decided to try to release the tension himself. “So was meeting me the most awkward meeting you’ve had?” Junior asked while taking a helping of food.

Cas scoffed at that, “Please, he shot me the first time we met!” Cas said tilting his head towards Dean.

Dean almost choked on his food, “Hey! That’s not fair! I didn’t know what you were!”

Cas’s eyes were sparkling in a teasing nature, “I literally told you that I was the one who gripped you tight and raised you from perdition Dean. I told you that I was an angel.”

“And you thought I’d just  _ believe  _ you? You can’t expect people to just go along with someone who says that they are an angel…” Dean playfully argues back. 

Junior was watching the two intensely, curious to hear the story of how his uncle met the angel. Jack rolls his eyes while Cas and Dean continue to bicker about their first meeting. Sam chuckles, he missed this. It was starting to feel like old times.

Once dinner was over Junior asked if they could talk for a while. He wanted to hear more stories about the four men. Dean looked over to Cas and Jack. Why don’t you three chat for a while. Sammy and I will go for a quick drive. Junior agreed and followed Cas and Jack back to the couch and settled in. 

Sam looked back at his son. He was happily chatting with Cas and Jack. Knowing he was in safe hands he followed his brother out the door into baby. They both stayed silent during the drive just enjoying each other’s presence. After some time Dean pulled over and turned to look at Sam. 

“You’ve grown up Sammy. Look at you, you have a family, a kid. How are you? How has life been?”

“Dean… I … I’ve missed you. So much…” Sam stutters trying to keep his tears at bay. 

“Don’t start crying on me Samantha, come on! Tell me all about your life!”

Sam immediately starts telling Dean everything. How he was immediately called for a hunt. How Donna took him in so he wouldn’t have to be alone. How Eileen agreed to marry him and they started their family. Sam went into great detail about his son. “He reminds me of you Dean. So much it hurts sometimes.” 

“I’m sorry.” Dean apologizes looking over at Sam. “I’m sorry that he’s here. I know you don’t want to put him in danger.”

“He’s growing up, and I’m losing a say in things. You know I think I know how dad felt. It’s hard when your kid does the opposite of what you want.”

“You’ve done well with him. He seems like a great kid.”

“He is. I couldn’t ask for a better family.” Sam says smiling. “I just wish you could have been there with me.”

Dean gives Sam a soft smile. “I’m glad you’re happy. I’ve missed you too.” Dean takes a short pause trying to think of the best way to tell Sam his feelings. “I think I made the right choice you know. Coming to heaven. You got to start your family Sam and I reunited with mine. …. Cas and Jack are the closest I’ll get to my own family. I wouldn’t have been able to find anything close to this back on earth.” Dean saw Sam frown and immediately knew that Sam didn’t understand what he was trying to say.

“I missed them too Dean, but we would have gotten past it together. You died too young. You never got to live a life where hunting was just a hobby.”

Dean didn’t want to argue right now. Sam didn’t understand what he was trying to say and Dean wasn’t sure how else to explain it. When Dean and Cas told Jack he just knew immediately, though Jack also knew about the deal Cas had made with the empty so it probably wasn’t a long shot for him to guess what had happened that night. Maybe he’d try explaining it to Sam again later. For now Dean just relaxed back in his seat, “I guess, but it doesn’t matter now. I think we should start heading back.” 

Dean told Sam a few stories about his time with Bobby and their parents while driving back. “Sorry I don’t think you’ll get a chance to see them.”

“It’s fine I’ll see them in time” Sam said while closing the door and heading inside the cabin. 

When they got inside they saw Jack and Cas watching an episode of FRIENDS. Jack looks up to greet the brothers. “Junior went to bed. We were just waiting for you guys to come back. We should probably call it a night. There’s much to do tomorrow.” 

Everyone agreed and went up the stairs to their respective rooms. They all rested knowing that the next day they would be hard at work. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning Sam wakes up to quiet noises downstairs. He groans as he realizes that he woke up late again. He can hear soft footsteps and people talking in hushed voices. Sam pulls himself out of bed and quickly gets ready. He grabs his notes and heads downstairs. He sees everyone already sitting down and talking. 

“Hey Sam! I hope you slept well!” Jack says patting a spot next to him. “Come join us. There’s food in the kitchen, help yourself to anything.” Sam goes to grab a fruit and sits down next to Jack. 

“Dean and Cas are working with your son to understand what exactly his dreams were and if there is any other information he may have from his premonition or vision.” Jack says filling Sam in. He looks at Sam’s pile of notes. “What were you thinking for the spell?”

“I have a few notes from Rowena’s spells. Why can’t we use the alternate reality spell we used in the past Jack?” Sam asked.

“I’m not entirely sure where the reality we are heading to is. I’m not sure that would work. Also there aren’t too many archangels left here. Those that remain are still getting used to the idea that I’m god now. I don’t think they would be too willing to give up their grace. Especially if it seems like I’m losing power. Cas is worried that if the archangels find out they may start forming groups to rebel. We are at peace now and we don’t want to risk it.”

Sam nods understanding, “Ok well I was thinking we could still take components of that spell and maybe mix it with others.” Sam says, pulling out his notes. 

Sam starts to go into an in depth discussion with Jack about his thoughts. Some ideas Jack dismissed immediately. Turned out that Jack, Cas and Dean had already tried them or ruled them out after further research. Others he placed in a separate pile so that they could read more and possibly use to create their spell. They kept working until they heard Dean cry out.

“Cas!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know. I made Sam a little oblivious. Don't worry, he'll figure it out soon.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, Disclaimer: I don't own the show supernatural or the characters.

Junior woke up in shock. He wasn’t sure if what he had was a dream or a vision. Everything was still confusing. There was no way that he was going to fall back asleep so he decided to get up. When he got out of bed he realized that he was drenched in sweat so he hopped in the shower. 

The shower helped him calm down. As he went down the stairs he saw Uncle Dean heading to the bathroom. He waved to him and went down to the kitchen. No one seemed to be around. He opened a few cupboards until he found some cereal. Making himself a bowl he went and sat down ready to eat.

He was still mad at his dad. For years now he had been asking to be included on more hunts. Every time he’d ask his dad would shut him down saying that he should focus on school. His mom was a bit more lenient, she would teach him about other monsters and tell him all about the hunts. Sometimes she’d bring him along when his dad was on a different hunt. 

All he wanted was to be prepared. What if something happened to mom and dad during a hunt? He would know it was something supernatural but wouldn’t know where to begin. Every time he tried to explain this to dad he would stop the conversation and have him go run errands or work on school. Sometimes it felt like he was talking to a wall. 

“Hey sport!” Uncle Dean said as he walked down the stairs. “I didn’t know you were an early riser! You want me to make something?” 

“No thanks uncle Dean. I just had some cereal, I hope that’s fine.” 

“Of course kiddo!” Dean grabs a bowl of cereal for himself along with some toast. “Feel free to take anything!” 

Uncle Dean sat down across from him, “So how do you feel? It must be weird being in heaven, meeting angels and god.”

Junior nodded, eyes getting wider. “It definitely was not what I was expecting when I walked home. Where is everyone else?”

“Cas and Jack had to hop over to another world really quick. Apparently, something unexpected came up and the angels there wanted help. I think your dad is still sleeping.” 

“Weird, he’s always up early. I thought he was out running or something.” 

“He still does that?” Dean made a face, “ Ugh I know it’s healthy but man I hate running. Why would I do it for fun?” 

Junior laughs at that. He’s always thought the same thing. It seemed like uncle Dean was the fun brother, while Sam was the more strict one. He wondered if dad had always been like that. Dad had told him many stories but he didn’t talk much about his childhood. Maybe uncle Dean would tell him. 

“Uncle Dean”

Uncle Dean looked up, raising his eyebrows.

“What was dad like as a kid?”

Uncle Dean smiles, “Your dad was the smartest kid I knew. He always had a book in his hand and wanted to go learn more things. He was also a creative kid. He had this imaginary friend that he’d play with all the time...” Uncle Dean went on describing what dad was like but he didn’t get very far before Cas and Jack returned. 

“You both are up early.” Cas says walking over to Uncle Dean and giving him a quick kiss. 

Junior was shocked by the exchange. Dad had never said that Uncle Dean and Cas were together. Maybe dad didn’t know. Junior tried his best to hide any shocked looks not wanting to make Uncle Dean or Cas worried.

“Yeah, Junior here is an early riser like his dad.” Uncle Dean joked while scooting over to make some space for Cas and Jack to join. 

“This early?” Jack asks. “It's way too early. Dean, you normally aren’t up at this time.”

Uncle Dean shrugged, “I had a hard time sleeping after you two had left.” 

“What about you Junior, did you sleep well?” Jack asks, moving the conversation away from Uncle Dean. Junior guessed that it was normal for Uncle Dean to be worried when the other two would leave.

“Um yeah, I slept,” Junior says fiddling his fingers under the table. He didn’t want others to worry about his nightmares. It was probably just the excitement from the night before that had caused them. 

All three men frowned. “Does that work on your parents?” Cas asks. “It definitely won’t work on us. What happened. Did you have nightmares or visions again?”

Junior looks down, embarrassed. He feels like everyone sees him as a little kid. Having nightmares or these visions and not knowing how to talk about them made him seem less like an adult. He didn’t want everyone to treat him as a child. 

“Hey kiddo, we get nightmares. The stuff that we’ve seen, places we’ve been to. It’s not easy. Even your dad gets them. Did he ever tell you when he had visions? He was only a little older than you are now.” Uncle Dean says softly. 

Junior looked up at that. He didn’t know that dad had visions before. “This time I saw all of us with the girl,” Junior said hesitantly. “But I couldn’t tell if it was a dream or something else. It just felt so real”

Everyone looked at Junior sympathetically. “Maybe you can tell Cas and Dean about your dream while I go read some more.” Jack said while getting up.

Uncle Dean looked up at Jack with a questioning look.

“Cas and I were talking this morning. He didn’t think it would be wise for me to reach out to the world with Junior. He told me that was the worst seizure that you both had seen.” Jack directed his response to Uncle Dean. Uncle Dean nodded understanding but Junior was still puzzled.

Cas saw Junior’s confused look and tried to explain some more. “I still need more time to recover.” Cas continued. “I can help you look deeper into your dreams just as well as Jack could. But if Jack tries now he may have another seizure. Dean can help Jack through a seizure but I don’t have enough power right now to keep all of Jack’s power inside of him if it starts to escape during a seizure.”

“But you both don’t need to work with me, I’m sure researching will require more people than interpreting my dreams” Junior says understanding a little more now. 

Uncle Dean laughed, “Your dreams are our biggest clues to date sport. It makes more sense for us to spend time on them. Plus your dad will join Jack soon.”

With that Junior followed Cas and Uncle Dean to a corner of the living room. He sat down and waited to hear what their plan was. 

“Dean you take notes, Junior I want you to think back to the first dream you had of this girl. Describe everything you remember about it out loud. I will be looking in your mind as you remember seeing if I can catch any clues that you might not have noticed.” Cas says while handing Dean a notepad and pen.

“Looking into my mind?” Junior questioned getting nervous.

“You won’t feel a thing. He’s done it many times.” Uncle Dean comforted and gave his hand a quick squeeze. “Whenever you're ready. Start with your oldest dream and work your way up to the most recent one.”

Junior took a deep breath, still holding onto Uncle Dean’s hand. “She has dark brown eyes, almost black. Her hair is black too. Her skin is brown, a light brown. She looked scared. The girl was standing still but everything around her was blurry. I couldn’t make out where she was. That was it that was the first dream” 

Junior saw Uncle Dean writing everything down. Cas also was jotting down notes. Junior closed his eyes this time wanting to focus. “The second time I saw her it seemed like she was in the same place. But she was trying to run away. I tried to ask her what happened but every time I opened my mouth she would start screaming. I couldn’t hear her but I could see her screaming. She was running but I didn’t know where. It looked like she was running in a big circle.” 

Junior opened his eyes as he heard someone’s footsteps. His dad had finally come downstairs. Junior watched as his dad went straight to Jack and the two were chatting and looking through different books and papers. Happy that Jack wasn’t researching alone anymore he turned back to Uncle Dean and Cas.

Cas had his eyes closed and was still writing things down, but Uncle Dean nodded telling him that he could continue whenever he was ready. Junior closed his eyes again, “Yesterday I saw the same thing as Jack. She was scared and calling out. But she seemed to be reaching for someone. She wasn’t running, I think she was trying to pull someone or something closer to her. She kept putting her arm out trying to grab something but every time she tried she didn’t get anything.”

Junior took a moment to drink some water before telling Cas and Uncle Dean about last night's dream. “Last night felt like multiple dreams. One I saw us all in this big room, there was this huge table with a map. The girl from the other dreams was there too. But she kept a straight face. There were other people but I couldn’t see them. In another the girl was running again, but this time something was chasing her. The thing had long claws and almost caught her. Her clothes were torn and her back was bleeding. Dad had pushed her out of the way and suddenly the monster was gone. She jumped away from dad though. Dad was in pain. I think she was helping him? I couldn’t tell. Whatever she did she was really mad. The last part we all were in some place. And it was really noisy and windy I think. I couldn’t hear any of you and I slowly stopped seeing all of you too. I could feel fear and the sense of danger. Uncle Dean you…” Junior stopped not knowing what to say. There was something that was happening to Uncle Dean in the dream but Junior couldn’t figure it out.

Cas suddenly stiffened. He opened his eyes and grabbed Junior's arms. Cas’s eyes rolled back and Junior started getting scared. The pressure on his arms was getting tighter. “Cas that hurts…” Junior winced in pain. 

Uncle Dean immediately pulled Cas off and placed his hands on Cas’s face. “Cas! Cas come back here! Cas!” Uncle Dean said, sounding worried. Uncle Dean was shaking Cas now trying to pull him out of the trance. 

Dad and Jack were rushing over now after hearing Uncle Dean's voice. Uncle Dean called out a few more times before Cas finally blinked and looked around. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what do you think Cas saw?


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own the Supernatural or the characters.

“Sam” Cas called out. It was taking everything in him to make sure he didn’t start shaking. “When you had your visions could you tell the difference between a vision and a dream?”

Sam shook his head sadly, “No, it was just a gut feeling. Even then some of them were wrong.”

“Were they always visions of what would happen in the future? Were you able to stop any of them?” Cas asks.

“I… I don’t know Cas. Mine had to do with Azazel. I don’t remember much about them. Do you remember Dean?” Sam asked, looking at Dean.

Dean shook his head as well. The fear Cas felt started to take over his body. They had to stop Junior’s vision from coming true. They had to prevent it from happening in the first place. 

“Cas…” Jack started.

“Not now!” Cas snapped, still trying to think of a solution. He looked up and saw Jack had stepped back, hurt written across his face. “I’ll tell you later but not now.” Cas said so quietly he wasn’t even sure if Jack had heard. 

It didn’t matter where he looked he still saw Junior’s visions. Cas had to stop it. All those feelings were still running through him. No wonder the boy couldn’t sleep. Junior didn’t understand what was happening but Cas did. He felt it and saw it. They had to stop it. What Junior saw, what he saw, was going to stay as a dream. Just a bad dream. It wasn’t a vision. It wouldn’t happen. Couldn’t happen. Cas’s mind was still racing. He didn’t know where he was going, all he knew was that he had to grab Dean and go. He had to take them somewhere safe. 

“We’ll be back.” Cas said and before anyone could respond he grabbed Dean and vanished. 

“Cas?” Dean's voice rings in his ears. 

“Dean” Cas hugs him and doesn’t let go. “It won’t happen Dean. I won’t let it happen.”

Cas felt a hand rubbing his back in small circular patterns. He could feel Dean’s jacket was wet. He hadn’t realized that he was crying. When did he start? He hoped it was after they left the kid. He didn’t want to worry Junior. Cas was a mess; he hadn’t been like this since he saved Dean, since he told Dean he loved him right before the empty took him away. 

“Cas? You're scaring me man. Come on. Talk to me.”

Cas pulls away and looks up at Dean. Dean cups his face, wiping away his tears. “What happened? What did you see?” he asks again. “What did you see that mini me didn’t.”

“The empty” Cas responds. “I think I saw the empty. Dean, the girl was reaching out to you. She was trying to pull you back. When Dean Junior saw us all together he said there was wind or a loud noise… I think that was the empty and some other power. Everyone was stuck in this vortex between the two. But Dean… You were in the center. Your soul was being split apart between the empty and this other power. You were screaming. I couldn’t get to you. I kept trying and trying. I couldn’t reach you.” Cas shivers finally telling someone what he saw. 

Dean holds onto him, not sure if he had heard the whole thing yet. 

“I could feel it ripping you apart. It felt the pain and fear. The worst part was you thought I wasn’t doing anything. You kept calling out because you couldn’t see that we were all there.” Cas hugs Dean again, “I won’t let it happen. I won’t lose you, not now.” Cas kept mumbling those sentences into Dean's jacket.

Dean started rubbing circles on Cas’s back again, “I’m right here. Don’t worry, I’m right here and nothing will happen. I know you won’t let anything happen. And guess what? Our kid is god, so obviously nothing will happen.” Dean stops rambling as he feels Cas relax against his chest.

“So what are we telling the kids?” Dean asks now that Cas calmed down.

“Kids?”

“Junior and Jack,” Dean responded instantly, “Junior barely understands what’s happening and this is way too much for him. You know Jack won’t handle this well at all. Actually, neither will Sam. So yeah all of them, you know  _ the kids _ .”

Cas chuckles softly. 

“I love that it's that simple to make you smile” Dean says relaxing himself now that Cas seemed to be getting back to normal. “But really, what are we telling them. They are gonna freak if you tell them what you just told me.”

“I’ll tell them what I saw reminded me of the empty. It brought back too many memories. Jack will understand. I don’t know about Sam or Junior though.” 

“Leave them to me, I can handle my brother and nephew.” Dean says. “Though I don’t think Sam knows about us yet…”

“I thought you told him last night?”

“I tried, but he didn’t understand. I don’t want it to be a big deal so I was hoping he’d just figure it out…”

“Ok, I won’t mention anything.”

“Cas… Are you ready to go back yet?”

“I’m ready but I’m too tired.” Cas says leaning on Dean.

“I’ll call Jack then.” Dean responds. He holds onto Cas’s hand as he sends a quick prayer to Jack asking him to give them a lift home. A moment later they arrive back at the cabin. 

Cas still has a tight grip on Dean while leaning against him. Jack, Sam and Junior were all staring, waiting to see if Cas would explain his sudden disappearance. 

Luckily Dean saves him, “Look, he’s exhausted. I’m going to get him settled upstairs and I’ll be right back ok.”

Since no one stopped them Dean helps Cas up the stairs and takes him to their room. Cas lays on the bed and almost immediately passes out. Dean carefully lays a blanket over Cas and closes the door. He was worried. Cas never sleeps, but recently both he and Jack have been sleeping more. He hoped this time Cas will get a chance to fully recover before he has to use his powers again.

When Dean went down the stairs he saw everyone sitting at the table. Jack hands him a sandwich. Dean grabs it but doesn’t eat it yet. He turns to Junior, “He wants you to know you didn’t do anything wrong. Alright? It’s not your fault. Cas didn’t mean to scare you.” Junior gives a short nod.

Dean then angles himself so that he can see everyone. He sits down and rubs his eyes. “Cas thought he saw the empty in Junior’s visions.” 

Jack gasped, immediately understanding Cas’s actions. Jack had been the first to know about Cas’s deal with the empty and once Dean started living in the cabin he quickly learned the details of Cas’s death. 

“So yeah, it freaked him out. He needed space. He also needs time to recuperate.” Dean looks at Jack, “He’s fine, ok. Don’t worry, he’ll be fine.” Jack relaxes a bit after hearing that. 

Dean looks at Sam and his nephew. “Are you two alright?” 

“We’re fine, I’ll explain the empty to him.” Sam responds. “Dean you look terrible.” 

“Look who’s talking bitch”

“Jerk.” Sam replied out of habit. “But really, maybe you should get some rest as well.”

“I agree, let’s call it an early night” Jack says, giving Dean a quick hug. “We’ve had a lot happen today and we all could use some rest.

Dean grabs his sandwich and heads back upstairs. He sits in the corner of the room and watches Cas. He quietly eats his sandwich and puts his plate down. He spends some more time listening to Cas’s even breath. 

Dean knew exactly how Cas felt earlier. He knows the pain of watching someone you love being grabbed by the empty. He hoped what Cas and Junior saw wouldn’t happen. He wasn’t scared for himself. No, he was scared that Cas would have to live through that again. Dean would do everything he could to stop that from happening.

Pushing those thoughts aside Dean gets into bed. He curls up next to Cas and quickly falls asleep to Cas’s even breathing.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or the characters in the show (obviously).

Jack didn’t need to sleep. Cas didn’t either but recently they both would get so tired and drained they would. Tonight Jack didn’t feel the need to sleep. He had tried resting, laying on his bed and closing his eyes. Tried not to think about everything that happened, but it didn’t work. Since it’s been a few hours and everyone else should be sleeping, he decided to go downstairs and just sit there. He grabs a blanket to curl into his favorite armrest next to the window settling in. The events of the previous day came back to him. It started out well. He had received a prayer from multiple angels asking for assistance on their world. Jack had asked Cas to join him, accidentally waking Dean in the process. 

The two had gone over to the other world ready to fix any problems. Turned out there was no problem. There was a brand new life form. One that Jack hadn’t specifically created. It had evolved. The angels were concerned and wanted to know what to do. Jack and Cas quickly explained that this was a good thing.

How did a day that started off so well, so full of hope end up the way it did? Before he knew it Dean was crying out for Cas. By the time Jack had gotten up and ran over to see what happened, Cas snapped out of the trance. Jack could feel Cas’s fear radiating around him. Wanting to calm him Jack started asking Cas what happened. Cas snapped at him before he could get a sentence out. Jack recoiled in shock and fear, Cas never spoke to him like that, never. Cas grabbed Dean and vanished a moment later leaving Jack Sam and Junior in the room. Jack wasn’t sure what to do. Cas clearly didn’t want to talk to him. He turned to Junior to see if he knew what happened.

“Are you ok?” Jack asked. Sam had kneeled down to check on his son. 

“You’ve had vi-visions before?” Junior asks timidly.

“I guess we all have” Sam responds looking at Jack. 

“Why don’t we talk about them. It’s not easy seeing things and keeping it to yourself” Sam said. 

“I don’t want to talk about it anymore.” Junior said firmly. Junior was clearly worried that it was his fault, that his visions that caused Cas’s outburst.

“Ok, why don’t we just chat? Tell me about your lives on earth? How is earth doing?” Jack asked. He really wanted to keep looking into the visions and the problem world but without Cas and Dean here to watch out for him he knew it’s better to let the topic go for now. 

Sam agreed and the three sat down to have a chat. Jack tried paying attention but his mind kept wandering. Eventually Sam made sandwiches for everyone. The conversation had died down and they decided to get some reading done instead. 

Suddenly Jack heard Dean’s prayer. Cas didn’t have the energy to bring them back to the cabin. He quickly brought the two back worried about Cas’s well-being. Cas was leaning on Dean, he looked like he was close to fainting on spot. As soon as they arrived, Dean took Cas upstairs and had him rest. Once Dean returned and explained that Cas had seen the empty everything made sense. Cas had a tough relationship with the empty. Jack wasn’t a fan himself but they had better understanding of each other than Cas did. 

Jack pulls himself back to the present, there were pressing matters to deal with. This information about the empty really changes things. After reaching the problem world they may have to deal with the empty? That shouldn’t even be possible. The empty can’t go to worlds unless he invited it. Jack looks over at the piles of papers in the corner, the notes Dean and Cas had taken. He waves his hand bringing them over to him. Jack lays them out on his lap placing both sets next to each other looking at the similarities and differences. 

_ Interesting _ Jack thought. Apparently there were multiple powers at play in this world. The kid wasn’t able to see them. That’s good, Jack didn’t want Junior to see the danger anyway. Cas was trying to differentiate them but wasn’t able to. He was barely able to make out the empty having a power struggle with this other force. 

He keeps reading through the notes. Cas had jotted down  _ ‘Bunker?’ _ . There was a vision that took place in the men of letters bunker? Would that be enough of a location to imagine to get to this world? There were other worlds with very similar structures, how could he ensure that they would arrive in the correct world? Maybe he and Sam can change the spell to open a portal to all the worlds with the specific location? If the world had that building or structure then the portal would allow you to go there. That might work. There were plenty of worlds that Jack had restored but only a handful had humans, so they’d only need to sort through this handful. 

Jack suddenly got an idea. A test method of sorts. They could try out the spell with a location he would describe to the others. Tell them a generic description and have them do the spell. See how many worlds were sorted through. He would know the number they’d have to sort through for sure. That way they can ensure the spell would work when trying to get to the problem world. All he had to do was change up the spell a little. Jack got up and went over to Sam’s notes. Looking through the pile that they had put aside. There were things related to multiple doors. He was flipping through the pages, engrossed in his work when he felt a hand on his shoulder. 

He turned surprised that he was caught off guard. Sam was reading over his shoulder. “Couldn’t sleep huh?” Sam says while taking a seat next to him.

“Don’t really need to,” Jack replied. “But I do have an idea.” Jack went on to describe the spell that he was thinking of. How they wouldn’t need to open a portal to one world but rather a portal that narrows down the number of possible worlds. 

“So you want to sort the worlds by a certain structure then just guess and check as we go to each one? How would we know we are in the right one?” Sam asks. 

“I’ll be able to feel it. There are multiple powers at play in the problem world. I should be able to sense this dynamic when I arrive there.”

The two of them started going through their documents again, looking for any new information that they may have skipped earlier. 

“Anything I can do to help?” Junior asked as he came down the stairs. 

Jack looked over to Sam. Jack didn’t know how much Junior knew about spells. Sam grabbed a stack of papers and notes and handed it to Junior. 

“Hey bud, could you look through these and make a list of the common ingredients and materials? We are making our own spell but the base will be similar to these.” Sam asks his son. 

Junior takes the pile and grabs his own notepad. The three of them work silently, only sounds heard were the flipping of papers as each one moved onto other documents or books. They had been working for a couple of hours when they heard Cas. 

“I’m fine, really,” Cas said while walking down the stairs. “Look I’m walking, talking and feel refreshed.” Cas said right before he lost footing and tripped. Luckily Dean was close enough to catch him. 

Dean quickly pulled Cas back and held on to him until he regained his balance. “This,” Dean waved his hands, “is not  _ fine _ !” 

Jack walked over to Cas and quickly waved his hand in front of Cas’s face healing him. 

“Jack!” Both Dean and Cas shouted. 

“It’s fine, I am back to normal, I’m technically returning whatever he gave to me anyways” Jack waved off. “Really, I should have done it last night.”

Cas was still frowning but physically he looked much better. He no longer needed Dean to support him up. 

“If I hear the words  _ ‘I’m fine’ _ out of either of you again I’m going to lock you up without your powers.” Dean threatens.

“And how would you do that?” Jack asks calmly.

“Obviously I’d start a war, then get the other angels to lock you up” Dean states as he walks to the kitchen. 

Cas and Jack both roll their eyes. If Dean was joking then he clearly wasn’t as mad as he looked.

“What did you guys eat?” Dean asks while opening the fridge. Dean turns around since nobody answers. “Ok, I’m calling a food break. Everyone up. We are going to eat outside.” Dean says rounding up Sam and Junior. 

“Dean we are so close...” Sam protests.

“Those two, don’t need to eat ever.” Dean points to Jack and Cas. “You two definitely do and knowing you guys you’ve both been up for hours without anything.” Dean says speaking directly to Sam and Junior. 

“Sorry, I forgot about that.” Jack says sheepishly while going over to the kitchen to help Dean prepare something. “We can tell Dean and Cas our plan while we eat.” 

Everyone went outside to stretch their legs and eat. Meanwhile Jack explained his plan. “What do you think?” Jack finished. Everyone turned to Cas.

“That… could work. Definitely test it though. Do you have the list of ingredients for the spell?” Cas responds with a thoughtful look on his face.

“I’m almost done then Dad has to look through and see what he actually needs.” Junior said excitedly. 

“Ok let me know what you need and I’ll…” Cas paused as he saw Dean glare at him. “I’ll send Samandriel to get them for us.” Dean stops glaring and returns to eating the remaining food. 

“I have a question.” Everyone turned to Junior waiting. “If you two don’t need to eat why do you?” 

“It’s fun?”, Jack says, sounding like he was trying to convince himself.

Dean laughs, “it helps them remember how to blend in if they visit humans. Also they are used to it now since they’ve been with us for years.” 

“Huh,” Junior responds. 

Leaving it at that everyone went back in ready to finish the spell. With all of them working together they finished it quickly and sent off their list of ingredients to another angel. 

“Why don’t you three spend some time together? I need to talk to Cas about some other stuff,” Jack said. There wasn’t much to do now other than wait for the ingredients. He also wanted to check in with Cas, he hadn’t had a chance to speak to him about what happened yesterday. 

Cas and Jack head upstairs into a room. Cas sits on the bed while Jack leans against the door. “Cas what happened yesterday?”

“I think I saw the empty in the other world.”

“Cas…”

“And some other sources of power, they were strong. They were fighting. I couldn’t tell who was winning.”

“That's all?”

“Jack, you may have made amends with the empty but I haven’t. My last memory of it was…” Cas stopped.

“When it took you away from Dean.”

Cas closed his eyes. Jack knew there was something else bothering Cas. He could easily figure it out if he wanted. He knew that if he pushed enough Cas would tell him, but he wasn’t going to do that. He trusted Cas. Last time Cas had a secret he was the first to know right? Jack decided that he would let this go for now. Hopefully Cas would tell him what’s on his mind soon. Or better yet, the fear would just disappear. 

“How about you, how are you doing? Your first and only glimpse of the problem world wasn’t very reassuring.”

“I’m worried Cas. What if we’re too late? What if everything is gone by the time I get there?”

“It won’t be too late. We’ll find a way to fix things. We have the Winchesters with us. You know they always find a way.”

They stay silent for a few minutes trying to take it all in. Both of them really needed to believe and have the hope and faith that they’d be able to stop or at the very least fix the problems in the other world. Neither of them wanted those visions to become real. 

After a while the two started an easy conversation about the past cases they had done back on earth. Reminiscing about those times was the easiest way for them to relax. They kept talking until Dean came in ready to call it a night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now they have a plan! Will it work? What's with the empty and the other powers? I have a general draft of the plot line but I'd love to hear what you all think! 
> 
> Also, thank you everyone for all the kudos and hits! This is so exciting and I'm glad people are enjoying the story!


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own the show or the characters of Supernatural.

Sam looked over at his brother and son. “So what should we do?”

“Tell me about your lives! Stories!” Dean said, making himself comfortable on the couch. “Hey sport what’s your favorite food?”

“Pie! I always get a birthday pie rather than a cake” Junior responds.

“That’s my boy!” Dean says high fiving Junior. “I should ask Jack to magic us some pie. I miss pie.”

“Really Dean? I’ve never understood your obsession with pie.” Sam says shaking his head while looking over fondly at his older brother.

Both his brother and son stare at him with their mouths open in shock. “Don’t listen to him kid, pie is the supreme food. But really, tell me about yourself! What are your hobbies? Sammy told me you were applying to colleges, what are your interests?”

“Uh I like gaming, I think I’ll go into something like that?” 

“Gaming…” Dean repeated thoughtfully. 

“Video games, he really loves them. I honestly don’t get it” Sam says ruffling Junior’s head. 

“You probably would have gotten along well with Charlie; she was a friend of ours.” Dean said.

“I know Charlie! She introduced me to D&D.”

“She did what?” Sam asked, unaware of this. 

“It’s a fantasy game dad, what we do for Friday game nights…”

“Oh… right.”

“Sounds like your dad’s getting old. He used to be better at knowing all this stuff.” Dean teases while nudging Sam’s arm.

Sam sticks his tongue out at his brother while Junior laughs. 

“So anyone special?” Dean asks, moving his eyebrows up and down. “Your dad obviously brainwashed your mom into marrying him somehow.”

Junior blushed and ducked his head. 

“He has a crush on our neighbor.” Sam responds watching his son closely to see his reaction. 

“You know!” Junior exclaimed. 

“Why else do you think we keep inviting them over for everything?” Sam responds. He’s missed teasing his kid. The last few days have been stressful. This was a fun way to relax and spend some time. 

“So how long has it been since you and Cas…” Junior asks hesitantly, wanting the attention to be directed away from him. 

“We've known Cas for years, what was it Dean? Since our late 20s?” Sam responds.

“Not what I meant.” Junior deadpans. He turns to Dean, “When did you know? I’ve heard mom and dad's story.”

Dean smiled softly, “when it was too late.” Dean had paused for a while before looking up at Junior, “what do you know about Chuck?”

“Chuck?” Junior questioned at the same time Sam says, “I didn’t tell him about Chuck.” Where was Dean going with this? 

Dean nodded and said, “Well first I’m going to have to tell you about Chuck and our little problem.” So Sam and Dean told Junior all the events that led up to Cas’s confession. 

“Your dad and Jack had gone to protect those people from the alternate universe, while Cas and I were going to find a way to stop Death.” Dean paused again feeling a tightness in his chest. “Things didn’t go according to our plans. We didn’t have any options, Cas got us into a room and had a sigil up to stop Billie from coming in.” Sam was quietly listening. He’d never heard the whole story about what happened that day. 

“We were out of options,” Dean repeated. “That’s when Cas told me about his deal with the empty. Apparently at some point he had made a deal. When he was at his happiest the empty would take him. Cas knew that the empty was the only way to stop Billie.”

Junior gasped at hearing about the empty. Sam knew that the empty had saved Dean but he never knew about the deal. How could Cas have been happy right before he died? 

“That’s when Cas told me everything. He gave this grand speech about everything he’s learned and how he’d changed since he met us, met me. He told me he loved me. He told me he loved me and I was frozen. Then Cas pushed me out of the way as Billie entered and the empty took them both.” Dean finished, tears threatening to fall again. “That’s when I realized. When it was too late. Cas had saved me, so I couldn’t let him die in vain. I tried. I tried to live my life but…” Dean's voice started fading off. 

Sam started looking back at all his memories of those times. How hadn’t he noticed? His brother was going through so much and he never thought of asking. “You were ready. You accepted your death so quickly…” Sam says sadly.

Dean turns to Sam. “I knew you’d make your own way. I.. I didn’t have anything other than hunting. I was tired” 

Sam didn’t know how to respond. Suddenly the conversation they had when he first arrived in heaven was coming back to him.

_ “I think I made the right choice you know. Coming to heaven. You got to start your family Sam and I reunited with mine. …. Cas and Jack are the closest I’ll get to my own family. I wouldn’t have been able to find anything close to this back on earth.”  _

  
  


“That’s what you were trying to tell me?” Sam asks, wondering how he had been so oblivious. It all seemed so obvious now. All those times that Cas was gone Dean never really accepted it. His death affected Dean more than it affected Sam. He had imagined that it was because it happened right in front of him, but now it made more sense. Sam knew that his brother and the angel had a deep and special bond, he just never realized how far it extended. 

Dean gives a small nod. “When I got here Cas was already back working with Jack. We finally talked things out.” 

“How did you know?” Sam asks his son realizing that Junior was the one to bring up this topic in the first place. 

His son shrugged nonchalantly, “I didn’t. It just seemed to be like you and mom.” 

“I’m sorry” Sam says, turning back to his brother. He felt bad for all the times he hadn’t been there. 

“For what? You’ve done lots of stupid stuff bitch.”

“Jerk.”

“You two are weird.” Both Sam and Dean turn at Juniors comment. Dean starts laughing.

“Well I guess it’s time for the serious question…. You said you play D&D but are you a LARPer?”

“Is this a trick question?” Junior asks looking at Sam and Dean suspiciously.

“Sam, remember the LARPing hunt? That was the only place that hair of yours was acceptable.”

Sam glared at his brother.

“I’m guessing he hasn’t told you this story either!” his brother said looking at Junior’s face. “Well you’ll love this.”

The rest of the evening went by filled with old stories of the two of them. Sam’s son was listening with wide eyes excited to learn all about the hunts. Sam and Dean kept sharing stories and memories until they heard Junior yawn. 

“Time to go to bed kiddo,” Sam says ruffling his kids hair again. Dean said goodnight and went off to his room. Sam was about to head to his room when he heard his son’s voice. 

“Dad”

“What’s up kiddo?”

“I don’t want to sleep.”

Sam walked over to Junior and put his arm over Juniors shoulder. “Aren’t you tired?”

“I am… but I don’t want to see the dreams again.”

Sam’s heart broke a little. He knew exactly how his son felt. He’d been there, he remembered times he wouldn’t get sleep due to Azazel's visions. Or the time he’d have Lucifers hallucinations that wouldn’t let him sleep. He never would wish that upon anyone much less his own son. “I know how you feel. What can we do to get your mind off things?”

Junior shrugged, clearly tired. 

“How about we go into your room. You can lay down and talk to me about anything. Or read or whatever you want. I’ll be there to keep you company. If you're having a bad dream I’ll wake you.”

His son didn’t seem happy but accepted the proposal. They went into his room and Sam made himself comfortable in a chair. Junior clearly didn’t want to talk so they both stayed up reading. After another hour or two had passed Sam noticed that Junior was finally asleep. He carefully grabbed the book out of his hands and draped the blanket over him. Sam went back to the chair hoping his son would have a peaceful night. 


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own the show or characters.

Junior woke up still feeling tired. He had a weird dream last night. He was camping. That’s all. It was relaxing to have a weird dream in the sense that it was normal and not scary life or death situations. Junior looked around the room. Dad was gone. It was bright in the room, light was shining in from the window. Everyone must be downstairs already. Junior quickly got ready and opened his door to go downstairs. As he opened his door he heard hushed voices. 

“Me right?”

“Actually…”

“I’m testing it out and you’ll do the real one.”

“Junior will.”

“No.”

“He’ll have to, he has the best picture.”

“No!”

“Hey man, it’s going to be fine.”

“No it’s not! why can’t Cas do it?”

Junior starts walking down the stairs quietly still trying to figure out what was causing the argument.

“I guess I technically could...”

“See, Cas will do it!”

“Sam!” Jack sounded exasperated. “You know it would be better if he did it,” Jack said pointing to Junior who had made it to the last step.

“If I do what?” Junior asked, finally joining the group.

“Cast the spell,” Jack responded. “You are the primary source, you’ll have the best image for the location we’re looking for.”

Junior turned around looking at everyone’s face. Dad looked mad, uncle Dean and Cas were standing off to the side trying not to get involved and Jack looked- well he couldn’t tell. Jack looked excited and worried at the same time. 

“Samandriel dropped off the ingredients. We can go ahead and test out the spell whenever we are ready.” Jack continued. 

“But if you are worried, or scared you don’t have to. Cas can cast the spell.” his Dad said quickly.

“That’s fine, I’ll cast it. It’s not my first time.” Junior says going over to the table to look at the finalized spell. “So I have to say the spell, think of the place and add a drop of blood right?” 

“Yes, try to visualize the exact location you want to stand in the place as well. That will help get us closer to the actual location. Perhaps let us into a safe area that’s not so crowded.” Cas suggests. 

“Got it.” 

“So where are we going? When do you all want to leave?” Uncle Dean asked.

“Whenever you two are ready we can go” Jack directs towards Junior and Sam. “I’ll have Cas plant a picture of the place in your head Junior. I’d do it myself but none of us want a possible repeat of last time.”

Junior looked to his Dad. “Anything we are waiting for?”

His dad looked at the others, “Don’t we need to pack bags and stuff?”

Jack and Cas both snap their fingers, instantly conjuring a few bags of hunting gear. 

“Right, well whenever you're ready I guess.” his dad muttered.

Junior looks to Cas and Cas quickly walks over. “Remember to take your time, try to picture the place as clearly as you can. This is a trial run but it will help us understand how many possible worlds we will have to step through to get to the correct one.” 

Cas placed his hand on Junior’s forehead and Junior suddenly saw a room. It wasn’t a very clear picture. There was a dusty rug on the ground, a yellowish window that was broken. The window was boarded up. He tried to look around more for any other details of the room. There was an armrest but he couldn’t see anything next to it. He had no clue what was behind him. There wasn’t too much to go off of. Junior looks over to Jack, “It’s not really clear...” 

“I know. Cas told me your vision wasn’t very clear to you either. This is to simulate that.” Jack responds. “It’s alright, there aren’t many worlds with this place.”

Junior looks around at everyone in the room. They all seemed as nervous as he felt. There really wasn’t any point in waiting. Junior waved everyone to come closer as he started reciting the spell.

“Aperire ostium, ut quod perierat 

Et non est inventus 

Ex cogitationes meas 

Em Lah, em Lah” 

Junior pricks his finger and places it over the bowl with the ingredients. He closes his eyes and focuses on the picture in his head as he squeezes the blood into the bowl. He focuses hard on the rug, wanting that to be the place they enter into the room. He hears a small sizzling sound and he opens his eyes. A silver line was making a box shape to their right. After a moment he realized it was a door. 

“Well, that’s promising.” Uncle Dean muttered, throwing his bag over his shoulder. 

Jack makes his way to the door, opens it and walks through vanishing the moment that he does. Cas and Dean follow behind him. Junior looks over to his dad who had his hand out. He grabs his dad’s hand and they walk through together. 

Once they are through Junior realizes that they are in a middle area of some sort there were seven doors surrounding them. The one they had just come through was a yellowish light now, the rest were bright white. 

“At least we know which one to take to get back” Junior hears his dad say. 

“Are there the right amount of doors Jack?” Uncle Dean asks looking at the different doors trying to see if there were any differences. 

“There were supposed to be five,” Jack responds thoughtfully.

“So two of these don’t have the place you showed me? How did they get here then?” Junior asks nervously thinking that he messed up.

“I’m not sure…. We’ll have to check them out to understand.” Jack responds. “ But that's fine. We’d have a problem if there were less. More is not a problem.”

Everyone looked around. “So is there a time limit for this thing?” Junior asked since no one was making a move. 

“Yes, we should get going, we have 24 hours before the ingredients give out.” Cas says as he goes to stand in front of the door to the right of the one that leads back to heaven. “Let's check here first.”

They all make their way through quickly. As they walk in Junior sighs with relief, the room looks pretty similar to what he pictured. The rug was the same, the window was tinted. He saw more details, the wall had an abstract painting, and there was a large stack of books next to the armchair. He turns to Jack to see if this was the right one. 

“This wasn’t the one that I was picturing, but it was one of the options I hoped you would bring up.” Jack says, looking pleased. Things were going well. 

“Where’s the door back out?” Uncle Dean asks. 

“Right in front of you.” Both Junior and Jack respond confused. 

Cas titled his head frowning, “We can’t see it.”

“Huh, maybe only the spell caster can see it then, and me?” Jack responds. Jack makes his way to open the door. “Well, come on, we’ve got other doors to open.”

They all make it out and move to the next door. They walk through and immediately feel a cool breeze. Junior looks around and is confused. This isn’t a room at all. They were standing outdoors. None of the elements in the picture were here. How did this show up as an option? 

“I don’t understand. I focused on the room. How did we end up here?” Junior asked as he started to lose confidence. What if he couldn’t do it. What if they would end up in a completely random place?

“It could be the spell… Maybe we need to tweak it.” Junior hears his dad say as he feels a pat on his shoulder.

Jack and Cas were looking around trying to figure out where they were and if there were any other explanations. “Junior, what part of the room were you focusing on?” Cas asks suddenly.

“The rug”

“Look around. The flowers.” Cas says gently touching the flowers. A few bees sprung out and Cas seemed to get distracted. 

“Cas?” Uncle Dean asked, “We aren’t mind readers.”

“The flowers. They are similar to the pattern on the rug.” Cas says jumping a little. Looks like Uncle Dean startled him. That seemed to be the answer that everyone agreed on. They started making their way out but Cas lingered behind the group. 

“You and your bees, I’ll never understand” Junior heard Uncle Dean mumbling behind him. They finally make it through and move in front of the next door. “Everyone ready?” Uncle Dean asks as he reaches out to open the door. Everyone nods and they walk through. 

Again they were in an open field, this time there were no flowers, there were other houses and buildings surrounding them but they all seemed abandoned. Something started coming at them fast, Uncle Dean quickly punched it. “Huh a stereotypical ghost town, with actual ghosts. Didn’t expect that.” Uncle Dean said looking around to see if any more ghosts would surprise them. 

“How did you just punch a ghost?” Junior asked, he turned to his dad and saw him looking surprised too. 

Uncle Dean put out his hand. “I asked Jack for an iron ring, figured it would make our lives a little easier.” 

“I didn’t account for this…” Jack said walking around the empty area they were standing in. Jack placed his hand on the ground. “How did... I… It’s interesting… It knows time?” Jack wasn’t making any sense. 

Cas seemed to understand and patted Jack on the shoulder. “The spell recognized more than we thought it would.” 

Jack finally looks to Junior, “This world used to have the room you saw. It was a slight variation but in the past the room existed right here. You are standing where the rug was.” 

Suddenly Junior saw a holographic image of the room. Jack was right, the room now looked like the picture he saw and was trying to get them to.

“I didn’t account for this world when we were making this room. Yet somehow the spell led us here even though the room doesn’t exist anymore. The spell takes time into account. It opens a door to a world that may have had the location we are thinking of, even if it no longer physically looks the same.” 

Everyone looked around in awe for a few moments. They felt a cool breeze and started smelling sulfur. “I guess that's a sign for us to leave, unless we want all the ghosts to come out.” Junior said while opening the door. 

Jack went to the fourth door and quickly went through. This looked similar to the first room they walked in. “This is the one,” Jack exclaimed happily. “You got a door to it even though you didn’t know the location!” 

They quickly went back out to the middle area. “We should check the last three to make sure they were the expected ones” Jack says. 

It made sense, and it shouldn’t take much longer so they quickly went through the last three doors. Each of them looked similar to the correct world’s room. There were slight variations. One was the exact same except the entire room was flipped like a mirrored image. The other two had different colored furniture or more things in the room. They made it out of the last room and started walking back to the door that would lead them back to heaven. 

“This could actually work.” Jack was muttering to Cas as they made it back into Jack’s cabin. 

“I think that was a success.” Uncle Dean said patting Dad on the back. “I knew you could do it Sammy.” 

Junior looked at his dad, he seemed happy. Everyone did. They had a chance to actually find the problem world. “Are we going there now?” Junior asked.

“No, you all need to sleep.” Jack said. “This was the easy one and we took most of the day to go through the seven doors. You guys didn’t even eat. Rest now and we can go once we are all refreshed.” 

There was no arguing with that, so they went over to the kitchen to grab some food. After they all had eaten they went upstairs to get some sleep. Junior was excited that he was able to cast the spell. At the same time he was nervous. The other world would have more dangers. It had the girl who always ran away and was scared. What was the scary thing in his visions? Would they have to face it? Similar thoughts ran through his head as he fell asleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I originally was planning to make this two smaller chapters but I decided against that idea. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! The group finally has a plan that is promising!


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or the characters from the show.

Dean couldn’t sleep. Cas had been called by the angels so he was alone in his room. He really wanted to talk about the upcoming journey with him but alas he was alone. 

That’s fine, Cas had to make preparations for their departure. The angels and other worlds had to know that he and Jack would be unavailable for a period of time. Jack had told them that they could reach out to him, he just may not respond as fast as he had been until now. 

It seemed like everyone was making preparations for the trip to the problem world, Jack and Cas with heaven, Sam and Junior went to bed early to catch up on sleep and go through their bags. They were also trying to pack some books they thought would contain helpful spells. Dean already knew what was in his bag. He was the one who had told Jack what he’d wanted. He hadn’t done this in a while though. Actually going out on a hunt. Researching was one thing, but going out there and facing an unknown power was another. Dean sighs and rubs his arms, he was just getting used to the idea of eternal happiness with no worries when Jack started having seizures. He really can’t catch a break can he? Even in heaven he ends up going on hunts. He didn’t mind though, not really. He cared for Jack as his own son, and right now Jack needed help so he would be there. 

Since Dean was all prepared he laid back down on his bed. He closed his eyes and tried to let his body take over and lull him into a slumber. After forty minutes of tossing and turning and still no Cas, Dean sat up on the bed. While sleep should have been his priority, he couldn’t stop thinking about what Cas had told him. The empty was in the other world, or if it wasn’t there was a possibility that it would show up there. They’ve never been able to beat the empty. The only successful person was Jack. Was it the empty that was draining Jack’s powers though? If that were the case then Jack may not be able to stop the damage that would be done by the empty. 

Dean tried to remind himself that Jack was able to overpower the empty before he was god and they already knew that god could handle the empty. Despite telling himself this Dean’s nerves were still on fire screaming about all the possible dangers of the upcoming trip. Kicking his legs over the bed Dean got up and decided to go check on Jack. The kid didn’t have any plans and seemed to be doing better so Dean knew that it was likely that Jack was awake. He walked down the hall and gave three short knocks, “Hey kid, any chance you’re awake?”

The door immediately opened and Dean went in and leaned against the wall. “Dean, is everything ok?” Jack asked as he closed his door.

“How are you?”

“I’m fine.”

“Really?”

“Dean what’s on your mind? I could sense your nerves even before you knocked,” Jack diverted the topic. Dean noticed the swift change but let it slide for now. The main reason he came to Jack was to talk about his fears right?

“The empty might be in that world.” Dean mentioned softly while running his hand through his hair.

“Dean, it won’t take Cas. I’ll stop it!” Jack says with confidence. 

“But you’ve been drained, Jack we don’t know what’s causing that. What if it's the empty?”

“I don’t think it is. Either way, we won’t let that happen. The empty will not take Cas again.”

Dean takes a deep breath and starts to rub his arm unsure how to respond. The kid was so confident that Cas would be alright. Dean already knew that though. Cas wouldn’t be targeted by the empty, apparently the empty wanted him. How was Dean supposed to tell Jack he wasn’t worried about Cas and the empty? He was worried about how Cas would handle it if the empty took himself away. He couldn’t just say  _ ‘Cas will be fine, it’s me that the empty is dragging away. Oh and something else too apparently. All the power sources there want a piece of my soul so they will tear me apart in front of everyone.’  _ No Dean couldn’t tell Jack that. It was already hard enough that Cas knew and was too worried to leave him alone. He honestly wished that Cas didn’t see that vision. If it was only him burdened with this knowledge he could handle it, but now he had to live with it along with the knowledge that Cas is struggling with it as well. 

Dean decided to try a different angle of approach. “What if the empty wants someone else, not Cas.” Dean asks, wondering if Jack would understand his fears. 

“I’ve been in the empty before Dean, I’ll be fine.”

“What about —”

“The empty doesn’t want any human souls, dead or alive. That’s part of the reason I’m restoring all the worlds. The real things in danger are honestly the angels and other supernatural beings.” 

“Ok...” Dean says, not entirely convinced. He saw Cas’s fear and knew what Cas saw. If what Jack said was true then maybe it wasn’t the empty, but something similar. Maybe it was something worse. This wouldn’t be easy to talk about and he didn’t want to stress out Jack too much before they even got to the problem world. 

Dean looked at Jack again. This time he noticed something different, Jack had a very controlled look on his face. Jack was hiding something, and he was doing a great job of keeping it hidden. “Jack…. how are you feeling? Truly?” Dean asks, concerned that he was overburdening the kid when Jack was already struggling with his own problems. 

“I’m…” Jack started to say before he looked up. Dean gives Jack a pointed look telling him to stop lying and hiding things from him. “I’m worried. I’m tired, I feel useless.” Jack’s posture started to droop. “I’m a terrible god. How can I be god and have so much out of my control? Chuck seemed to control everything. It was always his will.”

“That’s what made Chuck a terrible god!”

“But everyone thought that chuck abandoned them. That’s what made things go crazy. What if this problem world thinks the same of me? That I abandoned them.” Jack barely gets the last sentence out in a whisper.

Dean felt terrible. The poor kid was trying to deal with the weight of being god and here he was burdening him more. Dean walked over to Jack and sat down next to him on the bed. “You are much better than Chuck, look at you. You’ve been fixing all of his mistakes. The angels here are on your side. The other worlds are happy with how you're running things!”

Jack shook his head refusing to see the positives that Dean was pointing out. “But I was there as soon as they were created. They  _ knew _ that I was there for them. Dean this other world doesn’t know. The angels there still think God abandoned them. What if they hate me immediately? Since I didn’t stop these powers in their world the moment they arrived? What if they rebel?” 

“We don’t even know if those powers are there yet. The visions could be of a distant future.” Dean said while draping his arm over Jack’s shoulders. “And if they rebel we will figure it out. We’ve stopped the end of the world multiple times you know. I’m sure we can stop a rebellion. Even Cas has experience with that.”

“But something is there blocking me. What if they are purposely blocking me because they don’t want me? What if the reason everything goes bad in the vision is because we showed up to a world uninvited.”

Dean paused. He hadn’t ever thought about it that way. That a world would have a barrier they put up to stop god from entering. If that was the case things could go very wrong the moment they stepped in. Would a barrier like this stop Jack from ever entering? Could Jack get hurt trying to enter a world that didn’t want him. The list of Dean’s worries was growing and he started to take a protective stance. There were so many unknowns about this world and it was clear that Jack had been thinking about this a lot. Jack didn’t need more questions right now, he needed support and affirmations that everything would be alright. From Dean’s experience, no matter how terrible things seemed to go everything seemed to work out in the end right? Maybe not right away but in the long run they are able to leave the world a better place. 

Dean looks to Jack and sees a small scared kid. “They don’t know that you’ve taken over. Give them a chance to meet you. They’ll love you kid. I mean look at us, we didn’t have the greatest relationship in the beginning but I still love you.” Dean paused as Jack looked up at him. “All of us do. Junior hasn’t even known you for a week and he looks up at you in wonder.”

“You know that not everyone will give me a chance. Not everyone wants to talk.”

“How about we hide the fact that your god?” A new plan was formulating in Dean’s head. “You’re worried about their opinions, so don’t walk into that world like you normally would. Just enter as Jack, an angel. Feel it out. See what public opinion is. Then later if things seem fine tell them.”

“You want me to lie to them? Go to the world as a normal person similar to what Chuck did?”

Dean frowned, that wasn’t what he was trying to say. “Don’t pretend to be a prophet, that was annoying. Be an angel. Keep your powers to a minimum. And if they are searching for god then tell them you were undercover. It’s like an undercover boss!” 

“That could work. I can ask Cas to help me hide from other angels.”

Dean sees Jack relax and feels much better. He gives Jack a hug, “We always tend to think of the worst case scenarios don’t we?” 

Jack rests his head on Dean’s chest enjoying the warmth from the hug. “You also always remind me to have hope.”

Dean gets up to go back to his room but turns when he hears Jack call out. “Dean, can you stay tonight?” 

“Of course”. Dean joins Jack on the bed and protectively wraps his arms around the kid. He wouldn’t let anyone hurt Jack. Dean would happily sacrifice himself to protect Cas and Jack. They were his family and anything that tried to hurt them would have to go through him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been wanting a chapter with just Dean and Jack for a while so I added it in right here, I hope you like it!


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or the characters in the show.

The first thing Dean saw when he woke up was Castiel’s blue eyes. It was a calming thing to wake up to. Something Dean had enjoyed ever since he made it to heaven. 

“You’re up earlier than I expected. You can sleep more. Sam and Junior aren’t up yet.” Cas says softly. 

Dean reaches over to give Cas a kiss. “I love you. You know that?”

Cas’s eyes shone with happiness.

“I’m not going to fall asleep again, let’s just lay down and relax.”

“We haven’t done this in a while. It’s nice” Cas says snuggling up to Dean. 

Dean wraps his arms around Cas bringing him closer. “Where’s Jack?” 

“He went downstairs. He wanted some time alone.”

“Should we check on him? He asked me to stay last night.” Dean asks worried. He starts to push himself up off the bed.

Cas gave him a gentle push back down, “Give him some time, we can go a little later.” Cas says giving Dean another kiss. “We don’t know when we’ll have time to relax again.”

The two stayed in Jack’s room for a while, chatting and enjoying the time they had without worrying about anything. After an hour passed they decided to go check on Jack.

“You ok kid?” Dean asks, sitting down next to Jack. Jack was staring intently at the notes they had taken of Juniors vision. It felt like that's all he was ever asking Jack; are you ok? Dean wished Jack could just get a break. He deserved the chance to just be a kid. 

Jack nods, “I didn’t want to look nervous when Sam and Junior come down so I’m trying to get the nerves out now.”

Dean looks down at the notes. “Find anything new?”

“Nope.”

The three of them sat down with their bags ready to go. A few moments later Sam and Junior make their way down with their bags. 

“Everyone ready to go?” Dean asks while preparing the bowl with all the ingredients for the spell. Everyone nodded so Dean hands the bowl to his nephew. Junior took it and placed it in front of him as he started the spell. As soon as he finished a new door opened up. And they all walked into the middle area. There were 17 doors. 

“We have 24 hours to find the right door to our world. If we don’t find it we’ll have to redo the spell and try again.” Jack told the group. 

The group went through the first door and turned to Jack. Jack shook his head and opened the door to leave. They went through almost half the doors, sometimes having to alter people's memories since they were not being expected. Some places they jumped right in the middle of a fight, others were abandoned bunkers filled with dust. It was exhausting since they weren’t just poking their heads in, they actually had to take some time, help with the fights and remove any evidence of them ever being there before leaving. 

Cas quickly cleaned everyone up after they left each world. Dean and Sam were covered in blood after decapitating a few vampires that were in the last world they entered. It wouldn’t do well to scare people in other worlds by walking in, drenched in blood. Jack sighs opening the next door, “The doors aren’t glowing as bright anymore, we’re running out of time.” 

Dean walks through first and everyone follows closely behind him. Once Jack closed the door he gasped. “This is it!”

Dean looks around taking in the bunker. It was very similar to theirs. The table with the map was in front of them and the steps to their left. This bunker looked very very similar to theirs compared to the rest of the worlds they had gone to. Suddenly a light started flashing above them along with a short beeping sound. None of them moved unsure if it was a trap. 

“What? You’re gonna just stand there?” 

Dean turned to see who was speaking to them. The person didn’t seem surprised. He hoped that they weren’t about to fight this person. When he turned around Dean gasped recognizing the blond wavy hair and black leather jacket. “Claire?” Dean asked.

“Let’s give a hand to Sherlock and his mastery of my name.” Claire deadpanned as she walked around them to stop the flashing and beeping alarm. 

“Claire what are you doing here?” Cas asked.

What— what am  _ I  _ doing? I think the real question is why are  _ they _ here?” She pointed at Sam and Junior. 

“Claire, what do you mean? Why aren’t you with Jody?” Sam asks, taking a step forward. 

Claire immediately stepped back putting her hand up, “I’m not talking to you. I was talking to Cas.” 

“Claire, step away.” 

Dean recognized the voice that came from behind them but couldn’t place it. He turned to see who it was when he felt a splatter of water hit him. 

“Kevin?” Dean heard Sam ask.

Dean wiped his eyes and saw Kevin standing in front of him. 

“They aren’t possessed… prove you're not skinwalkers.” Kevin said, stepping away to stand next to Claire with a protective glare. 

Dean pulled out his knife, “Look here we aren’t here to hurt you,” he said while cutting into his arm. The others around him did the same. 

“It’s really you!” Kevin said, sounding hopeful. Before Dean could respond he heard a third voice, but this is one he never heard before. 

“Kev, Claire, it’s not them. Get up here now.” 

Kevin and Claire rushed up the stairs to join the girl who had said that. Dean looked up and saw the girl. The girl had black hair, and her face was unreadable. 

“That’s her!” Junior mutters next to him. “The girl from the dreams.”

“Gabe,” the girl called out. Before she finished saying the name Gabriel appeared next to her. 

“What are they?” The girl asked, never taking her eyes off Dean. 

“We aren’t here to harm you,” Jack said, making his way forward. 

Gabe appeared right in front of Jack. “Don’t move any closer.” He growled at them. “It’s them, but not them…” Gabe frowned. 

“What do you mean? Did they lose their memories?” The girl asked, confused. 

“They’re from another world.” “We’re from another world.” Gabe and Jack responded at the same time. 

Jack put his hands up in a defensive position. Cas and Dean knew it was him being prepared to attack if the next few moments went wrong. “We are here to help. He..” Jack pointed at Junior, “had visions of you and that you needed help.” 

“DJ had a vision? And I didn’t?” Kevin asks.

“They are telling the truth,” Gabe said. “They came looking for you Moni.” 

The girl, Moni, came down the stairs and stood next to Gabe. “I was really hoping it was them.” She said, still staring at Dean. Dean felt uncomfortable, Moni was waiting for him to say something and he had no idea who the girl was. It felt like her eyes were piercing through his soul. She was searching for something. “You guys don’t know me.” Moni seemed surprised as her eyes softened. Dean hinted a note of sadness as he shook his head. 

“Well then I’m Monica, don’t call me Moni. Only  _ our _ family calls me Moni” she said, more reserved now. “Let’s go sit down and hear about these visions.” Monica walked over to the next room sitting down at the table. Dean followed and sat down on the right, with Jack next to him. Sam and Junior sat across from them while Cas sat at the end of the table. Dean looked down at the table expecting to see the family initials carved on them, but when he looked down he saw none. 

“So let’s get introductions straight, I’m Gabriel, an archangel. This is Monica as you’ve met. And you already recognized Kevin and Claire.” Gabe said, trying to read Jack. 

Jack kept a confident look in his face but Dean could tell by his posture that Jack was worried. Dean decided to rescue the kid and slowly pulled him back so he could stand in front. “I’m Dean, this is my brother Sam and his son Dean. We call him Junior so it doesn’t get confusing. We’re the Winchesters.” Dean said while pointing out his direct family members. “This is Jack and this is Castiel, they are angels from our world.” 

Everyone in the room watched the group. No one spoke for a few minutes, everyone trying to process what exactly was going on here. Finally, after what felt like a deafening silence Monica turned to look at Junior. “You, are you a prophet?” she asked.

Junior shook his head. 

Monica frowned and turned to Jack. “If he’s not a prophet why would you think the visions are true? Kevin hasn’t had any worrying visions.”

“Just a feeling I have. Can we stay for a while and help? Just make sure you are all safe.” Jack asks looking longingly at Monica. 

Monica sighed, “You’re just like our Jack. I can’t say no to that ridiculously innocent face. Fine just stay out of trouble alright?” 

“So there are versions of us in this world?” Dean asked, wanting to meet them. 

Monica stiffened at that and Kevin came to give her a supportive pat. Kevin answered Dean’s question. “Yes, but Junior goes by DJ. Our Dean, Cas and Jack …” Kevin looked around nervously for a moment, “ _ are out  _ and haven’t checked in for a while. We were hoping you were them.” Kevin finishes. 

Dean tries to hide his frown, it was obvious that there is something that these people were hiding. They clearly didn’t know if they could trust this group. Dean also noticed that they all didn’t mention much about Sam or Junior’s counterparts in this world. They didn’t seem to trust them. He decided to worry about that later as he saw Monica about to speak. 

“Why don’t you all take the empty rooms and rest. There’s food in the kitchen feel free to help yourselves. We have to locate our hunters.” Monica said with no room for arguments. “I’m assuming this bunker is similar to the one in your world?”

Dean nods and gets up. “Thanks.” He says before heading out to the empty rooms. He gently pulls Jack to follow him. Right now they needed to gain their trust, and the best way to do that would be to let them be alone and talk it through. He also wanted a space to talk to the others. There was something unsettling but Dean couldn’t figure out what it was. 

The five of them quickly find some empty rooms next to each other and drop off their bags. Afterwards they all gather in Dean and Cas’s room. 

“That's the girl… there are others…. Kevin’s…. Claire too...” Dean hears a whirlwind of responses.

“Guys..” Dean started but no one was listening. “Guys…” Dean tried again but the other four were still in some sort of conversation or argument. He couldn’t tell. His head felt like it was splitting apart. “STOP EVERYONE JUST STOP!” Dean finally yelled.

The room fell silent as everyone looked at Dean with concern written over their faces. Dean ignored their looks because it finally felt like he could breathe and think again.

“Jack, can you take down the walls now that we are here?” Dean asked as if he hadn’t just screamed at everyone.

Jack looked confused as if he wanted to speak about something else. Rather than changing the topic Jack responded, “No, I still can’t tell what's blocking me.”

“So we need to stay here a while, under the ruse that we are here to protect Monica?” Dean asks, taking a sharp breath. He was feeling some pain in his gut and it made no sense.

Jack nodded.

“So let me get this straight. We are staying here in this world, where there are other versions of us running around. Who knows similar people that we know.” Dean grasps his stomach as he starts to feel a sharp pain. “Is this safe? For us? For the other versions of us?” 

“It will be fine, I can fix things while I’m here. I just need more time to figure out these powers at play.” 

“Ok, Ok..” Dean says stumbling back to take a seat on the bed. The pain in his gut was growing and spreading and was slowly becoming unbearable.

“Dean?” Cas was next to him in minutes. 

Dean didn’t want to worry anyone in the room so he tried to distract them. “Monica’s eyes … I feel like I should know them. She kept looking at me. Waiting for me to recognize her.” Dean says while shifting back on the bed to lean against the wall. “I don’t know her. Do I know her?”

Cas placed a comforting hand on Dean’s shoulder and was about to say something when they heard a knock on the door. 

Sam was the closest so he opened it. Gabriel was standing on the other side. Gabriel stared at Sam for a few moments before squeezing past him and making his way into the room. 

“We need to talk.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They finally made it! I'm so excited that we are finally here. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has been writing comments! Every time I see that others are enjoying the story I am motivated to continue! If anyone has any feedback I'd love to hear it as well! 
> 
> Thank you again for giving this story a chance!


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or the characters in the show.

“We need to talk”

Cas was staring at Gabriel not sure what to say. It had been so long since he’d seen his brother. Gabriel had always been the fun prankster. It made sense seeing as he was the trickster, but Cas sensed that this Gabriel went through a different life then the brother he knew. He didn’t know what happened, but this Gabriel was much more protective of the humans. 

“What did you see? What happens to Moni?” Gabe asked with a strained voice. 

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to—” Jack starts before he is interrupted.

Gabriel glared, “Nothing will happen to Moni. Anyone or anything will have to go through me.” He growled. 

“She’s your charge. You two have a bond…” Cas says with an understanding voice. “It’s rare for an angel to meet their charges in person, when they do they make a profound connection.” 

“Who’s yours?” Gabriel asked cautiously while glancing towards Dean.

“Dean. I pulled him out of hell.” 

“So you understand. Moni and I, it’s not entirely the same as you two…. but it’s similar enough.”

Cas nodded. “Gabriel, We do not mean harm. We truly don’t understand what danger befalls this world. We just want to help.” Cas says hoping to calm his brother from another world. 

Gabriel looks directly at Cas, “Are we close in your world?” 

Cas stayed quiet looking down. He wished that he was closer to the archangel. They didn’t have a terrible relationship but it wasn’t a close one. If Gabriel had survived longer he did think the two would have been closer. 

“We are here. The Cas from this world. It’s strange seeing you all. You all are so similar but don’t react the way we expect.” Gabriel says sadly. “I haven’t heard anyone call me Gabriel in a long time, especially you Castiel.” 

Everyone stayed quiet, unsure how to respond. 

Gabriel snapped his fingers making a table with takeout appear. “Word of advice, give them time. It’s hard for them to place their trust in others.” He says walking out of the room. 

“He’s different here.” Sam says slowly opening the bags of food as if he was scared something would jump out. When nothing happened Sam distributed the bags around to everyone. 

Cas passed on food leaving his bag aside in case Dean would want some later. “He had a different life here. I think… I think he raised me in this world. I also think that torture he went through happened earlier. The timeline seems different here. I can’t see it all but I’m getting portions.” 

“Does he trust us?” Jack asked quietly. Cas looked to his kid and saw that the real question Jack had was  _ does he know? _

“He trusts us for now, and he doesn’t know.” Cas responded trying to calm Jack down. The kid had been ansty since they walked into the room.

Dean put his bag of food aside without touching anything inside and started to lean back on the bed. Cas immediately went to sit next to him worried. Something seems off with Dean but he couldn’t figure out what. There was no way that Dean would say anything with everyone in the room. 

“Guys why don’t we call it for today. We can meet up in Jack’s room tomorrow morning.” Cas suggested hoping everyone would take the hint. Luckily they did and quickly went out closing the door behind them.

Dean was laying down on his side now, curling up into a ball. Cas tried to hand him some food but Dean just shook his head. 

“Dean, you need to eat. You are in a human body in this world.”

“Not now, I … my head … my stomach” 

“Can you sleep?” 

Dean shook his head again. 

“May I?” Cas asks his hand hovering over Dean’s forehead. 

Dean nodded. It had been a very long time since Cas put Dean into a dreamless sleep. It had been longer since Dean willingly accepted it. Once Dean was asleep Cas rearranged him so that he could lay down more comfortably. After positioning Dean, Cas walked back to the door. He wanted to walk around the bunker, see if he could get any more information about their alternative selves. 

Cas was walking in the hallway when he heard voices in the kitchen. He stayed back and went silent. He pulled out a phone to look at in case someone caught him. 

“He looked just like dad. I thought he was playing a joke or something. Wearing that trench coat.”

“They all look just like them don’t they?”

“I feel so stupid. How did I not notice? It's so obvious now but how did I miss all the signs?”

“They recognized you Claire. They recognized Kevin. They passed all the tests.”

“You knew.”

“He didn’t look for me at all. He didn’t call me. He always calls out for me.”

“Moni…”

“I need him. I… I can’t do this without him.” Cas heard Moni sniffle. “I told them not to go alone.”

“They went together.”

“They should have waited for us.”

“Jack was missing. You would have done the same thing.”

“Claire, if anything happens...”

“Moni, they’ll be fine. They’ve survived purgatory together.”

“If anything happens to me before Dee gets back… don’t let him… he’ll blame himself, don’t let him.”

“Nothing will happen Moni. That DJ kid doesn’t know anything. Plus Kevin hasn’t seen anything and you know Gabe would never let anything happen to you.”

“Promise me Claire. If I’m gone you’re the only one they’ll listen to. Promise me. 

Cas heard a few more sniffles and someone walking. He looked around and backed up so that he would give the girls a better heads up that he was walking in. Cas made sure to make his presence known before walking into the kitchen, making sure his footsteps were loud and can be heard. Both girls were sitting at the small table. 

“Hi Castiel, do you need anything?” Monica asks, wiping away her tears. 

“Just some water. Are you alright?” Cas asked, wondering if the girl would respond. 

The girl waved him off. While getting up to show him where the glasses were. 

“Tell us about yourself Castiel, Gabe told us that some things were different in your world.” Claire invites Cas to sit down.

Cas tilted his head, “what do you want to know?”

Claire looked like she was about to tear up when he asked that. “Are you close to me? In your world?”

“We would keep in touch. You stayed with a woman named Jody Mills.”

“I live with Jody?” 

“You needed stability and the Winchesters and I couldn’t do that for you. You or I guess our Claire still ended up hunting though. We all tried stopping her but she did anyway.” Cas says looking at Claire’s expressions closely. He was trying to understand the differences in this world but also gain these girls' trust. 

“You didn’t want her to hunt?” Monica asked softly.

“She was a child, going off alone on dangerous hunts.” Cas responded. 

The girls gave each other a quick glance. Cas watched the interaction, nothing was said aloud but it was clear the two were arriving at an understanding. Things must be different here. 

“Do you live with Jody here?” Cas asked, pushing again wanting to learn something about this world.

Claire glanced at Monica and Monica gave her an encouraging nod. “No, our Cas, he saved me. My mom died but he saved me and took me in. He… is like my dad.” Claire says deep in thought. “Can you?” She started before pausing. “Can you feel him or see him? With your powers? Can you find him?” 

Cas closed his eyes, trying to go through this world to find the alternate version of himself. He brushed past different locations. While Cas was doing this he realized that he couldn’t sense any of the angels of this world. None. He switched courses and looked for Gabriel knowing that he existed here. He couldn’t find him either. Cas opened his eyes and looked sadly at the hopeful girl. 

“I’m sorry, my powers are different in this world. I can’t sense or find any of the angels.” Cas says seeing the hope drain out of Claire’s eyes. 

“I knew Gabe couldn’t, I had just hoped. You are the same person… I thought maybe you could.” Claire said sadly. “It’s alright.” 

“It’s getting late, Clairie let’s go get some sleep. We need to prepare tomorrow.” Monica said, placing a hand on Claire.

They all got up and split to go to their respective rooms. Cas walked back to his room and placed the glass of water on the bed stand. Dean was still sleeping. Cas sat on the bed next to him leaning against the headboard. He wasn’t tired, and he didn’t currently need the rest. Cas was still confused about why he couldn’t sense any angels. He decided to spend the night searching the extent of his powers on this world. He started again looking for specific angels. Looking for a door to this world's heaven. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this world is different than the universe we saw in the show. I plan to give little snapshots of the alternate universe here and there but the main POVs for the chapters will still be Jack, Cas, Dean, Sam and Junior. I hope it's not too confusing that I change the POV between chapters! 
> 
> If anyone has any questions, suggestions or critiques leave me a comment! Thank you all for reading, I hope you like it! :)


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or any of the characters.

Sam woke up early. Well he guessed it was a normal time for him but knowing his brother and his son he probably had an hour or two to spare. Normally Sam would go for a run, but this wasn’t his world. It looked like the bunker he had lived in but it wasn’t. Sam didn’t want to make anything awkward between them and the residents of this world so he decided to get ready and check to see if Jack or Cas were free.

Sam knocked on Jack’s door. 

“Come in!” he heard Jack call out.

Sam walked in and saw Jack and Cas sitting on the bed. Both men were frowning. They had papers in front of them but everything was written in enochian. 

“Good morning Sam,” Jack greeted quickly while piling up the papers.

“Morning!” Sam responded, making his way to the bed. Sam nodded his head towards the pile of papers. “What’s going on?” 

“We were trying to assess the situation of this world. We both were running into problems so we are keeping track of everything we’ve noticed.” Cas said, sounding frustrated. “I should check on Dean.” Cas told Jack and quickly walked out of the room. 

Sam looked at Jack with concern. Was Cas angry with him? What did he do? 

“He’s had a long night of unsuccessful attempts of finding our counterparts in this world. It’s nothing you did.” Jack says while conjuring a coffee. “Did you have something on your mind?” Jack asked while handing Sam the coffee and making the papers disappear. 

“Not really. Everything ok with you two? You're having problems?”

“We can’t sense any angels of this world. We can’t find heaven either. It’s concerning as we know angels exist.” Jack answered. 

The door opened and Dean, Cas and Junior all walked in. Sam relaxed once he saw that Junior looked fine. He was worried that his kid would have more visions now that they were in the problem world. Junior seemed to be doing fine though so Sam didn’t need to worry. 

Dean, on the other hand, looked a little pale. Not too much, but just a bit. Junior probably wouldn’t have noticed but Sam knew his brother and something was wrong. They shared a quick look where Dean tried to tell Sam he was fine. 

So they were playing this game. Sam didn’t believe Dean for a second but Cas was there and he trusted that Cas would look out for his brother. 

Once they all sat down and made themselves comfortable, Cas told them all about his conversations with the girls. He went on to explain the problem he and Jack were having with locating angels and heaven. 

“We need to learn what happened in this world. In order to do that we need them to trust us.” Jack said firmly. 

Sam wasn’t sure if that would work. There was something different in this world. Everyone they had run into so far seemed to distrust him the most. They would always direct everything to Dean, Jack or Cas. They clearly recognized him and his son but they seemed frightened of them? Sam decided to see if he could learn more today. Maybe he was overreacting. If people he recognized showed up from a different world out of the blue he would be suspicious too. 

They all head out to the bunker’s library, thinking that would be the best place to start researching what happened in this world and how to take down the barriers. Sam didn’t like that he felt like a stranger in this bunker. Everyone except Junior seemed to feel the same way. They were guests, invited to stay but they felt like they were trespassing. While walking through the hallways he noticed that the bunker had slight differences. The way it was decorated, the lighting itself seemed brighter. They were small differences but to him they seemed catastrophic. 

As they approached the library they heard voices. “Of course Mr. Carter. “We’ll be there soon. Just try to keep the scene untouched and if possible move your family to a different location for a few days.”

Sam walks into the study first and sees Monica on the phone. Claire and Kevin were sitting at the table on laptops. They all turned once they heard Sam enter the room but none of them said a word. 

“Alright, send me the address and take care.” Monica finished her call. “Well, we’ve got a case.” 

“What kind?” “Where?” Sam and Claire asked at the same time. 

“Northern Michigan, and I’m not sure. It could just be a normal case.” Monica responded to Claire first then Sam. 

“Normal?” Jack asks, leaning on the chair in front of him. 

“She’s a PI, so she actually does normal cases without any supernatural beings.” Kevin responded.

“I think there may be a hunt up there, some strange disappearances are popping up.” Claire said while turning her laptop so Kevin could see. “We can come help you or go check these out.”

“Sounds good. I want to leave within the next hour.”

“We’ll come too.” Jack said firmly. 

“All of you?” Monica asked tentatively while glancing at Sam. 

Sam could tell that she wasn’t comfortable with him. The girl was clearly trying to hide it but she seemed to be more relaxed with the others. 

“We won’t get in your way. We can help with interviews or any research.” Sam said trying to show that they were only there to help. 

“Don’t you think eight of us will be a lot?” Claire asked, frowning. 

“We would feel more comfortable if we could be closer to you.” Jack said while walking closer to Monica. “Our vision had to do with you, and we don’t know when or where it may happen. If we were close by then hopefully we can prevent it.” 

Kevin, Claire and Monica shared a look. Finally a few moments later Monica turned to Jack. “Fine, but you’ll have to take separate cars. And separate hotel rooms.”

They all agreed to meet in the study in half an hour with their things so that they could head out. Sam walked back to his room with Junior. 

“Hey bud, how are you feeling?” He asked his son.

“I’m fine. No dreams.” Junior responded quickly.

“I meant about hunting with these people.” Sam said as they walked into Juniors room. 

“Claire doesn’t look at me. I know it’s not the Claire we know but it’s weird. I don’t know the others but Claire always talks to me back home. Here it’s like I’m invisible.” Junior says while checking to make sure everything was in his bag.

“I feel the same way. It’s weird because I knew Kevin and Gabriel in our world. But they also don’t seem to want to talk to me here.” Sam said as Junior gave him his bag to look over. Sam quickly glanced in to make sure the essentials were in the bag. “This looks good. Let’s grab mine and head back to the study.”

“I hope they’ll let us help them with the hunt.” Junior said as he opened the door to Sam’s room. “No offense but you never let me do anything, and I really do want to learn.”

“Why Dean?” Sam asked his son, stopping him from leaving the room. Sam closed the door before continuing. He knew there wasn’t much time to talk but since the occasion arose he wanted to get a better idea of why his kid was so enthusiastic about the hunting lifestyle. “I spent my childhood wanting to get away from this life. Your mom and I worked hard to give you as normal of a life as we could. Alex did it, she’s working as a nurse now.” 

“Alex also goes on hunts when Claire needs her. I want to be prepared if someone needs me. What if something happened to you and mom during a hunt. Right now I’d have no clue how to even start looking for you.”

“You could ask Donna, Jody, Claire, Charlie.... There are so many people you could call.” 

“Did you call others when grandpa was missing?”

Sam fell silent at that. He wasn’t sure how to explain that things were different then. Most people didn’t like his father. He and his brother worked for years to build trust and the small network of hunters they had formed. Back then, there were other problems. 

“Promise me that you will never hunt alone.” Sam said hand on the door knob. 

“Sure, I’ll always be with someone. Happy?” Junior said quickly with a hint of anger, “Lets go we don’t want anyone to get annoyed with us.” 

Sam sighed knowing that this conversation was over for now. He understood what his son was worried about but it felt like Junior wasn’t listening to him. He wished Eileen was here. She was better at explaining things and keeping everyone calm during conversations like these. The two quickly walked back to the study in silence. When they arrived they saw Monica and Dean sitting at the table. 

“Have this, you’ll feel better.” Monica was saying softly while handing a thermos. 

“What is it?” Dean sniffs the bottle suspiciously. 

Monica shakes her head, “just drink it.” She then turns to Sam. “Don’t let him drive.” She told him while tossing him some keys. 

“I can drive.” Dean argues. 

“I know, but this way you can get some rest. You look a little pale.” Monica responded giving Dean a little pat. 

“Our bags are in the car, ready when you are.” Kevin said as he walked in the room, Cas and Jack next to him. “Claire’s already in the car.”

The group all heads over to the garage and shuffles into the two Ford Mustangs that were pointed out to them. Cas and Jack opted to drive together while Sam would drive his brother and son. They all got situated and started driving off to northern Michigan to see if the case was a hunt, and possibly if the mysterious power sources were there. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry the chapter is a bit shorter than the last few, I hope you all still enjoy it!


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or any of the characters.

Jack and Cas had decided earlier to take a separate car to Michigan. It was very likely that the two would have to split from the group in order to do their own investigation about the angels. While Cas was driving Jack was trying to search for any angels in this world. The thought of trying to locate their alternate versions hadn’t occurred to him until Cas had brought it up. Jack wasn’t having any success, so he moved on to find any angel at all. 

“Looking for me?” 

Jack and Cas jumped at the sound coming from their backseat. “Gabriel?” Cas asked, glancing at his rear view mirror. 

“Relax, I came by to ask if you two can help me.” Gabriel said while sucking on a lollipop. “The others can handle themselves and I require angels' help.”

“What happened?” Jack asked intrigued. No one had really asked for any help and Gabriel seemed to be the most willing to tell them what’s going on in this world. 

“A small situation happened a while back. And heaven here is gone. Like *poof* gone. Any angels on the ground at the time remained but we have no clue what happened to the rest. Problem is I can’t find any.” 

“We wanted to ask you about that.” Jack started. 

“Heaven?” Gabriel questions.

“No the other angels. Cas and I noticed that we couldn’t sense any angels.”

“Yeah not really sure what that’s about. Didn’t even notice until little bro went missing.”

“Could you sense us?” Jack asked curious if this was affecting them as well. 

Gabriel frowned. “No, I just knew the general area you’d be since Moni told me you were joining her case.” Gabriel looked out the window for a moment. “I’m going to jump ahead and start looking for a place for us to set up our best while we look for angels in the area. Alright?” 

Jack didn’t get a chance to respond as Gabriel immediately flew away. He turned to Cas wondering if Gabriel was like this in their world too. Jack had met Gabriel but only for a brief amount of time. It was soon after they met that Gabriel had died. Jack still wasn’t sure he processed it. Gabriel had been one of the most welcoming family members. 

“It’s normal. He’s a bit sporadic.” Cas says sighing. “We’ll be there soon. Then hopefully he’ll tell us more about this  _ small situation _ .”

The two were silent for the rest of the time as they drove to the small town. Once they arrived they followed Monica to the hotel rooms that she had reserved. 

“I hope you all don’t mind, I only got you guys 2 rooms. The three of us share so I just kind of assumed…” Monica trailed off as she handed Jack the two room keys packets. 

“It’s fine, though actually —” Jack started saying as he handed the keys to Dean. 

“I’m stealing these two, good luck call if you need me!” Gabriel had appeared behind Jack and Cas. Monica had waved and with that they were gone, in a different warehouse. 

Cas looked annoyed that Gabriel had whisked them away so fast. “Couldn’t you have let us tell the Winchesters first?” 

“Your boyfriend will be fine. Everyone loves him too much to let him get hurt or worried. We have more pressing matters.” Gabriel responded while opening a door. 

Jack gasped, there were hundreds of people all huddled in the room. One side had some food and the people were lining up. This looked like a pop up homeless shelter. Why did Gabriel bring them here?

“Everyone here was a vessel. The angels were in these vessels before they vanished. We need to assess the damage. Are you ready?” Gabriel said while walking in. 

“Wait” Cas stopped Gabriel and grabbed his arm. “What happened? What was the situation you mentioned before? Also I thought you said angels on earth remained, now you're saying they vanished too?” 

Gabriel shrugged, “Your guess is as good as mine. Like I said, I wasn’t even aware of this until my Cassie went missing. The thing is I don’t know if the angels disappeared at the same time or if this situation is different. That's why I need your help.” 

Jack looked at the hundreds of poor souls in the room. He could feel their loneliness, helplessness. They were all confused. “They can’t remember large portions of their lives.” Jack mentioned aloud once he realized this was the reason for their confusion.

“You could understand that already? Without touching them?” Gabriel looked shocked that Jack knew this information already. 

Jack started getting nervous and glanced over at Cas. Sometimes he didn’t realize that his powers were more encompassing than the angels. This clearly was one of those moments. How was he going to explain that without giving away his powers. It has barely been one day and he already forgot to keep his powers in check. He still didn’t know what Gabriel’s opinion on god was, it was far too soon to reveal his powers. 

While Jack was still searching for an easy way out of this mess Cas came to the rescue, “He’s more sensitive to emotions. Just the way he is.” Cas gave Jack a small pat on his back, a gentle reminder to keep calm. Gabriel doesn’t know if other worlds were different. Jack focused on relaxing his muscles. He just had to go along with any slip-ups and say it was normal for him. 

Gabriel looked at Jack for some more time, “if you say so.” He said not sounding convinced but letting the topic go for now. “Let’s go. I told them we’re psychics here to help them unlock the memories from their past.” 

Cas and Jack followed Gabriel to the three tables set up at the end of the room. They each took a seat and immediately the people started lining up. Jack motioned the first one forward. 

“Hello Beth, take a seat and give me your hand. I want you to think about the most clouded recent memory you have. We will talk through it and see if we can clear it up.” Jack heard Gabriel next to him. 

Jack and Cas followed his lead and started speaking to the people in front of their tables. When Jack touched the first person he was overwhelmed with the blankness of the memory. These people had no recollection of their human past. They only remembered what happened once the angels were no longer in the vessel. This girl, she was still a kid. It saddened Jack to see that the child only remembered waking up at a bus stop. Luckily another adult helped her get on a bus and that's how she arrived here. Jack spent some time searching within her memories but they all seemed blocked. Why was that? Seeing that Jack couldn’t get any more information he moved onto the next person in line.

They go well into the night trying to figure out what led to all these people losing their memories. They stopped for a while to eat dinner, to keep up appearances of course but they continued to check people after dinner. It seemed everyone had different schedules, some who stayed up all night while others stayed up all day. The three made their way through each person trying to bring back a sliver of a memory. It seemed that the only thing they could bring back was the location they were when the angels left their vessels. Jack thought through everything he saw today. It was still confusing but the best guess he had was that in this world when angels take their vessels they put up a blocking spell. That way they won’t get attached to their vessel's lives and any people that may have been important. These walls should be broken when the angels leave the vessel but if the angels are forced to leave the walls are never taken down. Most of the time angels leave willingly, if they didn’t then they were probably killed so the vessel also dies. This was a strange situation. He’d have to talk to Cas and see if there was anything similar that he had encountered in the past.

“Alrighty folks, time to call it a night! We will continue tomorrow and start second sessions. Great progress has been made today!” Gabriel announced as he got up out of his chair. 

Gabriel, Cas and Jack went to a small secluded room at the side of the warehouse. They sat down to discuss their findings. Well to be honest it was more to see if there were any findings. 

“There was nothing, I couldn’t trace any memories.” Cas said sitting down putting his hands over his face. He rubbed his temples, “The best I could do was find the last location the angel was in the vessel.”

“Same, do you remember all the locations?” Jack asked, grabbing a marker and piece of paper. He had an idea.

“You think the locations may be related?” Gabriel asked, sounding hopeful. 

“No clue, but it's the only idea I’ve got.” Jack said, trying to seem confident. Jack really didn’t believe that the locations were related. At least the locations he went through seemed pretty random. Maybe further analysis would help them figure out some similarities. 

They had barely made it halfway through before it was morning and time to see the people again. Things went on like this for a while. Everyday they would work through each person, again and again slowly chipping away at the walls in their heads. Revealing locations that the angels were right before they had vanished. It was the third night of mapping the locations when Cas suddenly got up. 

“Dean’s calling me.” Cas said in a strained voice before immediately leaving. 

Jack and Gabriel looked at each other concerned that the others may be in danger. They both took a moment to search for their teams. None of them seemed to be calling out. Jack did sense that Dean was distressed, but Cas was already there. Gabriel and Jack continued to map out the locations. Cas arrived back, looking concerned but quickly put on a stoic face once he saw Gabriel watching.

“The angels may have been going to the same place.” Jack said, suddenly noticing a pattern in the randomly splattered points on the map. “They all seemed to be headed to this central location. 

“This is a large area, it could be anything.” Cas said, feeling uncertain. “Are we reading into this too much?”

“Are the others done with their cases?” Gabriel asked. Cas shook his head. “Well then we have some time. Let’s finish up the last few people tomorrow and start looking in the area. If we don’t find anything by the time their cases are complete then we will head back to the bunker.”

Jack and Cas didn’t have any better ideas so they agreed. The next morning they finished up with the remaining people left in the homeless shelter. They weren’t able to help them remember their families or lives prior to being vessels but the people seemed happy. They were slowly gaining a few memories back. That was enough to ease the confusion of the souls. Jack wasn’t satisfied but this would do for now.

  
  
  


They landed in an alley. Gabriel went off his own way while Cas and Jack went together. They could have split up but Gabriel was under the impression that Cas and Jack needed support to make sure they could pass off as normal humans. Jack didn’t mind, he’d always want Cas at his side. They went around the streets, walking into stores, pretending that they were tourists taking a break. Nothing really came out of it. 

They went through this for a few more days until they finished searching the area. Gabriel was disappointed. Jack was too but he also expected it. He didn’t feel anything in this area. The moment he stepped into the circle they made on the map he knew that there was nothing there. Something had happened but there was no evidence remaining. They needed a different method. Jack was still pretty confused. Why is it that there was no evidence of the angels other than the vessels? How were the vessels intact if the angels were forced out. While they were searching the area he spoke to Cas but even Cas hadn’t seen anything like it before. They were just meeting up when all three of them heard the call that the cases were done. They flashed back to the hotel to meet up with everyone else. 

“Gabe?” Claire asked the moment they arrived. 

“Sorry kiddo, still no sign of your dad.”

Kevin gave Claire a short side hug and grabbed her bag. “I’ll drive this time. You need to sleep.” Kevin said walking outdoors. 

Monica just arrived back from the front desk, and stood next to Jack. 

“I’m guessing no luck on your end?” She said softly. 

“No, I’m sorry you paid for the extra room. We can pay you back.” Jack responded quietly. 

“No, no. The three rooms were useful.” Monica said patting Jack on the back. “You two are alright to drive?”

Jack looked over at Cas who had his hand on Dean’s back. The two seemed to be having a serious conversation. “We’ll be fine. I have a feeling Dean will join our car this time.”

“Which means he’s driving” both Jack and Monica finished. Monica chuckled. “Drive safe. I’ll make Indian food once we get back.”

Jack walked over to the car and leaned against the door. “Am I with you or Sam?” He asked as Dean and Cas approached. 

“Us, hop in kiddo and get ready for some awesome music. Sammy played the worst music ever on the way here.” Dean shuddered while getting in the car. They all got in and soon enough they were driving back to AC/DC.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something is going on with heaven and the angels... is this the thing that was causing Jack's seizures?   
> What's going on with Dean that made Cas leave so suddenly? 
> 
> What do you all think?


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own the show Supernatural or the characters.

The car ride to Michigan was long. Junior was sitting in the back listening to a book since his dad refused to play any good music. Uncle Dean was grumbling about not being able to drive. He was sipping whatever Monica had given him. It seemed to help Uncle Dean. A few hours later he was in a much better mood and was willing to have a conversation with the two of them.

The car ride went by faster once they all were talking about random stories and favorite songs. Before he knew it they pulled into a parking lot for a hotel. 

“This place looks nice.” Dean muttered while getting out and grabbing his bag.

“She does actually work as a PI, so I guess it makes sense.” Junior’s dad said while picking up the two remaining bags. 

The three of them walked into the building and followed Monica up to the correct floor. She handed them keys apologizing for the limited number of rooms. Then Gabriel showed up and took Cas and Jack away for a different project. In the end it was him, his dad, Uncle Dean, Kevin, Claire and Monica. 

Uncle Dean opens the door to his room and motions everyone to come in. “We probably shouldn’t be talking out in the open.”

Once they all went in the group started figuring out how to split up amongst themselves. 

“I’ll go check on Mr. Carter and you all work the case.” Monica said at first.

“What if your case is a hunt?” Kevin asked, looking worried. “Maybe I should…”

“No Kev, I want you with me.” Claire said looking worried that Kevin would leave her alone. 

“I can go with you.” Uncle Dean mentions. 

Kevin, Claire and Monica stared at Uncle Dean. “I'll be fine this is my job.”“Give us a moment.” Monica and Kevin both said at the same time. The three went to the corner of the room and started whispering. 

Junior couldn’t make out much but he did hear bits and pieces. 

“Not alone” “with gigantor and baby gigantor?” “Remember… different.” 

They finally seemed to come to an agreement. “Dean you’ll come with me, the rest of you solve the hunt.” Monica said. She then turned to Claire and put her hand in her arm, “play nice. I mean it.” Claire rolled her eyes and pushed Monica’s hand off. 

“Follow me if you want to be prepped losers.” Claire said as she walked out the door. 

Junior quickly followed with his Dad close behind him. Kevin was the last one out of the door. The four went down the hall to Claire’s room to be prepped for the upcoming case. 

“So people went missing. They were gone for 2 days then suddenly they’d show up dead. Got it? Great let’s get changed and start interviews.” Claire said quickly while looking through her bag. 

“Wait what?” Junior asked, confused. Thats all they knew? There had to be more right? “How did they die?” 

Claire acted as if she hadn’t heard anything and kept going through her clothes to find the right outfit. 

“They were all different. One person was shot, another drowned, one had gotten in a car crash. Honestly we don’t know if they are connected at all. It’s just weird that they were all labeled missing before they showed up dead.” Kevin explained to Junior. 

“So what’s the plan? Investigate the victims bodies? Their homes or interview anyone who knew them?” Sam asked. 

Junior waited to hear the response but both Kevin and Claire seemed to freeze. Junior wasn’t sure what was going on but it hurt that they all seemed to accept half the group but when it came to him and his dad they had trouble trusting them. He wondered why that was. 

“Yeah all of it” Claire finally responded. We’ll go together and you two go together. We’ll meet up here for dinner and share our findings.” Claire said, handing over a piece of paper to Sam.

It was clear that they didn’t want to talk anymore so Sam and Junior walked out of the room and finally went into their room. The two quickly changed into suits and went on their way. 

Junior never got to do this part before! He had been on hunts with his mom before, sometimes with his dad but when he was there they would often have him do research and stay in the motel room. Junior picked up his fake ID and looked at it for a while in awe. They couldn’t go as FBI, he was too young. Instead they decided to go as life insurance agents. Dad would be the agent and he was the intern. He was going to go on a hunt with his dad. He’d get to do the entire hunt. 

The two went to walk around town until they found a small diner. They stopped there to sit down, grab a snack and do some research for themselves. Sam was looking at local news on his iPad while Junior searched on his phone. 

“It’s sad isn’t it?” Junior jumped not expecting to hear a female voice over his shoulder. A young girl was standing at the edge of the table. “Marcy, what would you like to order?” She asked, pulling out a small notebook.

“Did you know them?” Junior asked, noticing that Marcy looked sad. 

Marcy shook her head. “I mean I knew them, they’d be around town but we weren’t close. But I know what it’s like when someone commits suicide. It’s not easy for the loved ones.” 

“Suicide?” Junior heard his Dad ask. “I thought they were accidents?” 

“That’s what those papers will say. But we all know it’s suicide. They didn’t want word to get around that this town isn’t a go lucky happy place to be.” Marcy said, rolling her eyes. “Anyways what would you like?”

“Vanilla milkshake and fries please.” Junior responded and looked at his dad. 

“I’ll just have a smoothie, thanks Marcy.” 

Marcy jotted it down and went off to the kitchen. 

Junior looked to his dad, “if these were suicides does that mean that this isn’t a case?” 

“Not necessarily, but it does mean we need to see if there are any other similarities between them. Let’s read more while we eat then we’ll go interview family members. Claire and Kevin are checking out the bodies.” 

The two ate and read up on the victims. Junior was able to find some information on their families so they went to go find them. 

Interviewing the victims' families was not easy. It was difficult to convince the families to say much. Taking the little information they got, Junior and his dad went to meet Claire and Kevin for dinner. None of them had gotten much done so they planned to meet up again the next day, hopefully with more information. 

The next day was tiring. It was the same as the day before, they went around interviewing people all day until they finished going through the list of victim’s families. In the end they were able to learn that all the victims were seeing the same therapist. At the end of the day they went to the same diner that his dad had taken them to the day before. Since they had gotten there early Junior decided to go talk to Marcy who was now working at the counter. 

“Hey back again?” 

“Yeah, the milkshake and fries were great so I wanted dinner here too!”

“Well I’d recommend the chicken sandwich.” 

“Ok! But I’ll wait to order until my dad's friends get here.”

“You work with your dad? That’s cool.”

“Eh we are just trying it out.”

“Fair, my brother was like that too. He wanted to work with dad but I guess it didn’t end up going well.”

“What happened?”

“I don’t know, I guess it was just too much and he didn’t feel heard. He killed himself. He spoke to me that night but I didn’t understand what he was saying. I thought he was just stressed but I guess there was much more to it.” Marcy said sadly. “Sorry I didn’t mean to bring you down. Looks like I’ve got other customers to get to. Have fun with your friends.”

Junior walked back to the table his dad was at noticing that Claire and Kevin were just entering themselves. The four sit down and order their food. 

“So did you find anything?” Kevin asks, taking a sip of water. 

“They were suicidal and went to the same therapist. How about you?” Sam asked.

“They had traces of ectoplasm in their ears. Wait suicides?” Claire said confused. “A car accident and drowning is suicide?” 

“Knew that he couldn’t swim but jumped in anyways, and purposely sped through a red light.” Junior responded quietly. 

“If we didn’t notice the ectoplasm I’d believe it.” Kevin said nonchalantly.

“I’m glad Moni has her own case.” Claire muttered while the waitress brought their food. 

They ate in silence for a while. Finally towards the end of their meal they came up with a plan for the next day. Claire and Kevin would investigate the places of death and Sam and Junior would go to the therapist's office. They returned to their hotel rooms and went to bed. 

The next morning on their way to the therapist's office Junior talked to his dad about Marcy’s brother. 

“I just don’t understand how he could talk to his sister then kill himself.” Junior said. 

“Sometimes that’s how a person feels. That they are better off dead. It took a long time for your uncle and I to accept that we shouldn’t sacrifice our lives for the other. It’s not the same, but I can understand. There were probably other issues there. He just didn’t know how to handle them or he didn’t talk them through.” Sam opened the door to the office. 

Junior looked around the office. Everything seemed pretty standard and typical. 

“Do you have an appointment?” The receptionist called out.

“No but do you accept walk-ins?” Junior heard his dad ask. 

“Sure fill out these forms and we’ll do a quick assessment to determine when to get you in.”

Junior looked over the forms as his dad filled them out. Dad was having him go into the appointment. How typical he thought. He was there to distract while his dad could find the ghost. Junior slouched back in his chair and started playing a game on his phone. 

“I’m saying you have anxiety ok? Just play the part up a bit.” 

“Whatever dad.”

Junior knew his dad was glancing at him but he refused to acknowledge it. His dad sighed and went back to filling out the forms. Once he was done he handed them back to the receptionist and started asking her questions. 

About half an hour later he heard someone call out for an Andrew. He felt his dad nudge him. “Go on Andrew it will be fine.” He said with a look telling him that he should play along. 

Junior got up and followed the man down the hallway into a room at the very end. The first thing he noticed when we walked in was that the room was very bare. No pictures on the walls, all he saw was a plant in a corner and shelves with books. He sits down in the empty chair and faces the lady with a clipboard. 

Junior answered all the questions as if he was an anxious kid. He made sure to be picking at the chair and bouncing his leg. All the things he knew were common indicators of being anxious. The evaluation was pretty quick. On his way out he saw a large leather jacket on a coat rack. He stopped to feel it, it was amazing maybe he should ask dad for a leather jacket. He didn’t linger too long knowing that the lady had other people she had to talk to. The lady walked back with Junior to talk to his dad. 

“He’s 18 so you don’t need to be here with him. But the way this works is I rank how immediately he needs to see Dr. Delano. I don’t think he needs immediate attention so I’m giving you this.” She handed Junior a pager. “Once it goes off you can come in and meet with him. You’ll see him today but probably not for a couple of hours. Go eat lunch and walk around. Then come back. Again Dad you don’t need to be here if things are running late.” 

Junior looked at his dad who was nodding along to the lady. They grabbed the pager and went out to a park. 

“Kevin called apparently there were two more suicides last month over here. They’re interviewing but asked us to check it out. It’s a long shot since it’s been a while but we’ve got time to kill.” Sam told Junior as they started walking around. 

“You think one of those people is the ghost causing this now?”

“Maybe.”

They made it to a small spot where flowers, pictures and candles were left. They walked around trying to find any clues as to who this ghost was. Nothing was found. They met up with Claire and Kevin for dinner again. That’s when he got a message on the pager. It took some arguing but Junior got his dad to let him go alone and meet them back in the hotel. 

Junior went back to the office and returned the pager to the receptionist. 

“You're his last one for the day.” He heard her say as she packed up. 

“Andrew?” 

Junior walked over to Dr. Delano and shook his hand. They went into a different office. This one seemed more cozy. Once he sat down Dr. Delano started asking questions. They started off simple with school and home life. Before he knew it they were talking about his relationship with dad. 

Junior started feeling angry, “I just don’t get how dad treats me like a child. All I want is to know more about him. I want to learn his hobbies. He doesn’t want me to do the same job as him but what if I want to? Does he listen to that? No. It’s whatever he wants.” Junior was ranting now. 

“Have you talked to him about it?” Dr. Delano asked calmly. 

“No, how could I? Honestly sometimes I feel like the only times he pays attention to what I want is when I have panic attacks. But even then he just tells me what to do. He doesn’t listen. Maybe if I die then he’ll realize.” Junior was trembling from the outburst. What just happened? He didn’t mean to say that. He wasn’t even thinking about it. It was like his body decided to just spew random words without his knowledge.

“I’m sorry, I can’t let you leave.” Dr Delano said with a shocked look. He put his notepad down. “Your behavior is worrying so I’m going to need to keep you here. I'm sorry but you will not be going home tonight.” 

Juniors' eyes widen. “No no no I’m fine I promise! I have to get back to dad. He’ll be worried!” Junior tried to reassure the doctor but it didn’t work. Suddenly he felt a prick at the back of his neck and he blacked out. 

When Junior woke up he felt dizzy. He was in a room with a bed. There was a door leading to a bathroom but that was it. The room was empty. He hated it. He sat still and waited. His dad would come soon. He just had to wait. He just had to wait.

It had been hours and Junior was going crazy. He had nothing, nothing to occupy his time. No human interaction, nothing. He was starting to get mad at his dad for taking so long. Junior started pacing hoping that the doctor would let him out soon. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was reading my draft of this chapter and I felt like something was missing so I ended up redoing it. Hopefully there aren't too many mistakes and it still makes sense!
> 
> I thought this would be a good cliffhanger to end on for now. What do you all think?


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or the characters in the show.

Sam had just let his son go off on his own. It was taking every bit of restraint to make sure that he didn’t run over to the therapist's office to check on Junior. He really hated hunting with his kid. It’s hard enough with others but when the others are family? Tends to make things more complicated. Sam remembers all the times his brother, dad and even mom got hurt. How was he supposed to stay calm with the idea his kid could get hurt? The diner was closing up and he needed to leave. Kevin and Claire had already gone back saying that they wanted to get to bed early so they could have an early start on some more locations tomorrow. 

Sam decided to walk around a bit. He needed some time to think. Claire mentioned ectoplasm, a clear sign that this was a spirit right? A very emotional spirit. Who could it be? It could really be anyone, maybe the spirit just chose to hop onto victims at therapy because it was easier to overtake them. Those individuals were more susceptible. 

Sam had walked around the park a few times and it was getting dark. He sent a quick message to his son to come straight back to the hotel once he was done. No response. Were therapy sessions that long? He guessed so there wasn’t much more that his kid would be doing in a new town. He made his way back to his hotel room and started to lay out all the evidence. Sam ended up dozing off in the middle of his analysis. 

The next morning Sam noticed he was the only one there. Thinking that his son went out to grab some breakfast he went to shower and head out himself. Once he got out of the shower Sam noticed Junior still wasn’t back yet. He grabbed his phone and sent a quick message to meet him at the park so they could talk. Sam was still struggling to figure who this spirit was. 

Sam went over to the park again and grabbed some local papers. Sure the newspaper business was dwindling but a few towns still had local news being printed. He started looking through to see if anyone had more information. While he was sitting and reading the paper Claire and Kevin came over to join him. 

“Where’s the kid?” Claire asked while grabbing a paper for herself. 

“Not sure, I told him to meet us here but now that I think about it I haven’t actually seen him since last night.” Sam frowned as he had the thought that something might have happened to his son. He just assumed that Junior made it back late last night and then wanted to grab food this morning. What if he never made it back? 

“He’s 18 right? Maybe he wanted to blow off some steam. You two argued a bit last night before he left.” Kevin said, trying to comfort Sam. “I’m sure he’ll show up soon.” 

Sam gave a small smile but something was bothering him. Thinking back to the hotel room he realized nothing was different. There was no sign that Junior made it back. He hadn’t gotten any response to any texts either. He decided he’d wait another hour before starting his search. 

The hour passed by quickly and there was no sign of Junior. When he expressed his concern to Claire and Kevin the two didn’t seem too worried. Claire brushed it off pretty quickly but Kevin tried to be a little supportive. They decided to walk around town and see if anyone had seen the kid this morning. Sam went over to the therapist's office to check what time the appointment finished last night. 

“What do you mean you don’t know?” Sam’s voice was rising causing others to start staring. Sam didn’t care; he asked a simple question and this receptionist was being annoying. 

“I packed up and closed the place once he got here. The doctor was the last one to see him and the doctor is busy today. I can’t ask him.” The receptionist said quietly while slowly backing away. 

“And you have no security cameras? Nothing?” Sam rubbed his forehead in distress. What if this wasn’t a spirit and something else causing the killings. What if it took his son last night? He had to know who last saw him to be sure that he could find him quickly. This was why he didn’t want to hunt with his kid. 

“You’d need to talk to the police.” 

Sam groaned and left the office. Slamming the door on the way out. He gave Kevin a quick call. “Please tell me you found him. That this was an elaborate prank or something.” 

“Uhh sorry I can’t say that. What did they say?”

“They can’t tell me anything.” Sam grumbled back on the phone. “Shouldn’t have said he was 18 should have made him 15, a minor so they’d have to tell me.” 

“He’d never pass as being that young. He’s so tall he looks to be older.” Kevin quickly dismissed the idea. “I’m guessing you’re headed to the station?” 

“Yep.”

They all met up at the police station to file a report. Well that was Sam's intention, Claire and Kevin were there to get more information. Apparently another body was found last night and the two were trying to gather more evidence. 

The report filing was a mess and in the end it never happened. Sam wanted to punch something. His son wasn’t going to be deemed missing until it’s been 24 hours. So he’d have to wait until tonight before they would allow the report to be filed. 

“The kid will be fine. Come on let’s do the job.” Claire muttered as they walked out. Kevin joined Sam for the interview while Claire went to check out the location. It was a good thing Kevin came along. Sam wasn’t able to focus on the hunt at all. His mind kept wandering off trying to think of the best way to find his kid. 

They all met up for a late lunch. “So any ideas on who the spirit is? Whose bones do we need to salt and burn?” Claire asked as she sat down. 

Sam zoned out for a while watching everyone walking in and out of the diner. 

“Sam how does that sound?” 

“What?” Sam snapped back to the conversation as he heard his name.

“There are three people so we’ll burn all three. Hopefully one of those is the right spirit.”

“Yeah yeah, sounds good.” 

Seeing that there wasn’t anything more he could do for now he went back to the table and made plans for the salt and burn later tonight. All three of them would have to work on their own grave if they wanted to finish the job that night without being caught. 

Before they went out to the graveyard Sam made the official missing persons report and tried calling his son one more time. He was still annoyed that he had to go through the police to find out when his kid left the therapist's office last night. Normally he's able to get the information with his fake badge but people now knew him as the life insurance agent, he couldn’t switch now. 

The salt and burn went by relatively smoothly. It took a long time but no vengeful spirits tried to attack or stop them. That almost made it seem like they missed the mark. He supposed they would have to stick around to make sure the job was actually done. 

That night was rough for Sam, he could barely sleep. They had gotten back pretty late but Sam still got up early. The police hadn’t contacted him back yet which wasn’t helping Sam’s nerves. He gave Dean a call to see if his brother could help him out. Turned out they had their own situation that he couldn’t really leave. Sighing, he went out to the diner again. 

Once he got to the diner he heard someone talking to a man. The man looked tired. Sam overheard the conversation a bit. “Police came by….” Sam perked up. “Sorry Dr. Delano, paperwork….”

Wait Sam knew that name, Delano. That was one of the bodies they burned last night. Sam sent a quick message to Claire and Kevin letting them know that the police had spoken to the Delanos. They responded that they would stop by the graveyard and make sure it didn’t have to do with their late night activities. It wasn’t until the afternoon that Sam got a phone call back from the police. Apparently his son never left the therapist's office. 

As soon as he heard he called Kevin and asked them to join him there. His son had been under suicide watch! Sam knew his son and he was not suicidal. Right? Suddenly Sam wasn’t sure anymore. Was this the spirit or was this actually his kid? Was Delano’s ghost still wrecking havoc? Was his kid next? Sam needed to bust him out and make sure that the spirit was truly gone. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------ 

Junior was growing restless. He had been in this stupid room for so long with only his thoughts and they weren’t that great. He found himself getting sadder as the time passed and his dad was nowhere to be found. It’s the hunt. His dad always had to go save the people right? It's probably just the hunt. Once the hunt is over he would come back. Maybe his dad thought this was the best way to keep Junior away. This way Junior wouldn’t mess up the hunt. That must be it. 

The door finally rattled a few hours later. Sam and Claire were on the other side. “He’s fine, come on let’s go. We need to send this spirit away.” Claire said annoyed. 

Junior felt terrible. He messed up. He was the reason that Claire had to stop the hunt. She looked and sounded so annoyed. He distracted everyone else. No wonder his dad didn’t bring him on any hunts. He was the liability. 

His dad quickly handed him a gun. “The spirit is still around. Watch out ok?” Junior grabbed it and felt the weight of it in his hand. “Let’s go, we need to help kevin find out what the spirit is holding onto. We burned the bones last night but it might still be here.” 

As Junior walked out the weight of the gun seemed to be growing. Suddenly Junior didn’t feel in control anymore. His body moved the gun up. What's going on? He didn’t want to do this. Junior was breathing hard now. Something wet was trailing down his face. When did he start crying? What's happening? Why couldn’t he call out for his dad?

“Dean?” He heard his father say cautiously. “Put the gun down kiddo...”

Claire was immediately whispering on the phone as his dad kept trying to talk to him.

Junior tried screaming ‘ _ I’m trying. I can’t.’  _ But he couldn’t do anything. He felt a gun against his forehead. Laying against his temple with a soft pressure. He felt tears now streaming down his face as he was crying uncontrollably. He tried to convey the message through his eye.  _ Dad help me please! I don’t want to do this! I don’t know what's happening! I can’t stop! _

“You're better without me” he heard his voice. Junior wasn’t trying to talk but the words came out anyways. “You never take me anywhere. And Claire, you hate me. I don’t know why but you so what’s the point. I’ve clearly messed up.” Junior was rambling and sobbing. While Claire and his dad stood frozen. 

“Junior it’s not you, you just need to get in control I know you can,” his dad was saying as he tried to move closer.

Junior turned as he saw people rush in. Suddenly he felt angry. “YOU! You do this for a living and you couldn’t even see it when it was killing me? How does it feel to fail everyone who comes to you?”

“Eric?” Dr. Delano whispered.

“Yeah dad. It’s me.” Junior heard himself say out loud. It was a spirit that had taken over his body. How was he supposed to take back control? 

“I’m so sorry Eric. I never meant …. I tried to help you…”

“I wanted to be like you, I wanted you to notice. You never noticed. You helped everyone but me, so now I am taking away all the progress you’ve made on your patients. How does that feel?”

“Eric please! He’s innocent. Give him a chance.” Dr. Delano tried to negotiate. 

“He feels the same way about his father. He wants to be like him but his father doesn’t notice. This is the only way to get you guys to notice us!”

Junior feels sick. This spirit had a very twisted way to get revenge. This was not what he wanted to do but he saw his dad's eyes and could see the fear that the ghost was telling the truth. He supposed there was a small part that was true but he wasn’t trying to kill himself to get noticed. His dad had to know that right? Suddenly he felt something leave him. He looked up and saw a blue light explode. Kevin had rushed into the room. “It’s done. Did it work?” 

“Yes.” Claire said softly. “Junior will you put the gun down now?”

Junior felt his dad touch him and he jumped away. Junior let go of the gun and moved away from his dad. He didn’t want to kill himself but the spirit had made him notice how much he resented his dad at times. That scared him and he wasn’t sure how to tell anyone that. 

His dad looked distraught, not sure what to do. Kevin started telling him everything he was doing and slowly approached him. Soon Kevin had his arms wrapped around Junior and was muttering in his ear. Junior wasn’t sure what Kevin was saying but he quickly felt calm and he relaxed. Kevin carried him into the car and they drove back to the hotel. Junior slept the entire time. In the morning they started driving back. It was just him and his dad this time. 

“It was Marcy's brother. His jacket was still in the office which is how he was able to possess people in the office.” His dad said. Junior didn’t respond. His dad clearly wanted to talk more but Junior brushed it aside. He knew he’d have to talk to his dad eventually but not now, he wasn’t ready to talk yet. Thankfully his dad didn’t press anymore so the drive back was long and silent. Junior just curled up and looked outside the window as everything passed by. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really tried to make it clear that Junior is not suicidal. That was the spirit trying to make it look that way. Junior just has some trouble talking to his dad about how he feels. Meanwhile Sam just wants to keep his kid safe. He is trying to do everything he can to make sure his kid isn't in a situation similar to his own childhood. Conversation would really help right? 
> 
> Well, I'm glad Sam and Junior's week is over. Next chapter will be about Dean's adventures during this week. 
> 
> So what do you all think?


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or the characters in the show.

Everyone had left the room except for Monica. Dean felt strange joining Monica on the case but it made sense. No one should go on a possible hunt alone. 

“So Mr. Carter called about a missing person.” Monica started saying as she pulled out her iPad. “The police are investigating but he hired me since they haven’t gotten anywhere and now there are more ransom notes.” 

Dean grabbed the iPad and started looking at everything. This seemed like a normal case. He was not qualified for this at all. 

“Mr. Carter’s house was broken into and his other daughter is missing now too. I believe the police officially labeled both as kidnapped.” Monica continued. 

“I’m not qualified for this… are you sure I won’t get in your way?” Dean was concerned that he’d mess up the girl's job. 

“It’s similar to how we do our hunts. Difference is that it’s a human that’s the monster rather than a supernatural being.” Monica said supportively.

Dean looked at Monica, it was clear that she truly trusted him. 

“Plus it’s always nice to have a guy with me to make sure creeps stay away.” Monica joked.

Dean chuckled at that. They sat down while Monica went through the evidence that she was given. They quickly changed and drove over to Mr. Carter’s house to check out the most recent crime scene. When they arrived Mr. Carter was standing outside the house. There was crime scene tape around the door but no cops or detectives. 

“Everyone else was done but I told them to keep it up for you.” Mr. Carter said as Monica walked up to him. 

“Thank you Mr. Carter, my partner Dean and I will look through it ourselves. Hopefully we’ll find clues that others missed.”

Dean and Monica walked in and investigated the house. Dean wasn’t entirely sure what he was looking for so he double checked to make sure it wasn’t an actual monster. There were no signs of the supernatural in this house. He went up to the kidnapped girls room. He looked through a few drawers to see if there was anything he could learn. After some searching he found some pictures and a journal. He took some quick pictures of possibly relevant pages and put them back. 

“You good to go?” Monica was standing in the doorway of the room. 

“Yeah, are we headed back to the hotel?” Dean asked. He was getting hungry. 

“I was thinking of grabbing dinner and maybe starting to talk to the victims' friends.” Monica said. “But if you're tired we can head back!” She quickly backtracked, sounding concerned. 

“Dinner sounds great. You have a list of people to check out?” Dean asked, trying to reassure Monica that he was feeling much better than he did when they left the bunker. 

Monica nodded and started telling him everything while walking out the door and into the car. They found a place to eat pretty quickly. They ordered their food and sat down at a table. 

“Thank you for whatever it is you gave me in that thermos.” Dean said as they put away their notes and pictures from the day.

“I’m glad it worked. Also I’m not telling you what it is so don’t bother asking.” Monica said as the waiter brought over their food. 

Dinner was pretty quiet. Neither of the two seemed to know what to talk about. They didn’t want to make anything awkward so they ended up eating in silence. Once they finished Monica paid for the food and they two went back to the hotel. Monica had set up interview times for a few family members and friends of the victims for the next day. She told Dean the plan and asked him to meet her at the first location the next morning. 

Interviews seemed normal to dean. This he was used to doing. The general line of questioning was slightly different, meaning he didn't ask about cold spots or local legends. Yet he knew how to read people, get a sense of whether they were hiding something or not. Unfortunately there wasn’t much information to gather from the people. 

By the end of the day though, Dean and Monica had gotten more comfortable around each other. Between the interviews they had been able to joke around and Dean quickly found a rhythm with Monica while asking the victim’s friends questions. They didn’t need to plan out strategies, it felt like they had been doing it for years. It was just like working a case with Sam, it seemed natural. Once the list of interviews were done they went out to grab food. 

“Hey can I ask you a question?” Dean asks hesitantly. They had been getting along so Dean was hoping that Monica would be willing to open up a bit more.

“Sure, though I won’t promise an answer.” 

“Why are you all so hesitant with Sam and Junior?” 

Monica put her sandwich down and took a sip of water. “I was hoping you all wouldn’t notice.” She paused for a moment before looking up at Dean. “Our world is different than yours. You all seem to be close. Here… Well let’s just say our relationship with Sam is rough. So through that we don’t talk to DJ much either. Dee tried to mend the relationship but things happened and ……. you only let someone break your trust so many times you know?” 

Dean was listening closely. This was frustrating. Monica was really good at giving an answer without any details whatsoever. He really wanted to know what their counterparts of this universe were like but Monica seemed uncomfortable with telling him. He wondered what this world’s Sam and Dean went through that caused them to not talk or trust each other. Sure he and his brother didn’t agree on things but they always had each other’s backs. He was curious about what could have possibly happened between them here. 

“I’m sorry, we are trying to remember that you all are different but you act so similar and look exactly the same. It’s hard at times.” Suddenly Monica straightened up. “Dean, is that guy behind you the guy from your picture?” 

Dean turned around and sure enough the guy looked the same as the picture. The kid was more disheveled but it definitely seemed to be the same person. They hadn’t been able to find the guy so he hadn’t been interviewed.

“Let’s switch spots. I’ll go talk to him and signal if I need you.” Monica said, already getting up and making her way over. 

Dean shifted over to the other side of the table and watched as Monica went to talk to the boy. They spoke for a while and then she came back with a few boxes. She handed one to Dean. “Here I got you some pie for later.” Then she packed up her food in the other.

Dean gratefully accepted the pie, “any info?”

“He knows stuff but isn’t comfortable talking right now. We’re meeting him tomorrow before he opens this place.” Monica said while placing her boxes in a bag. 

The two drove back to the hotel. When Dean went into his room he noticed that Cas and Jack hadn’t come back yet. He sent a quick text to Sam to let him know that everything was good on his end. Sam quickly responded that they also were doing fine. 

Dean put his pie away for now, planning to have it later. He loved pie but would enjoy it more after the case was solved. He was feeling better but something still felt off anyways. He took a shower and went to bed. Cas and Jack were with Gabriel who knew if they’d even make it back tonight. Dean laid back and closed his eyes quickly drifting off.

Dean felt the heat before looking around. This wasn’t his hotel room. This was somewhere else. He had a bad feeling crawling up his back. All he could hear was screams. It wasn’t until then that Dean realized the screams he heard were his own. He was in hell again. He now felt the hooks and nails in his body, the feeling that he was being stretched apart. He screamed and struggled to get free. He screamed for Cas. He saw Cas but Cas couldn’t save him. Cas wasn’t able to get to him. He kept crying, calling out for Cas to rescue him once more but nothing seemed to work. Suddenly he felt a coolness. He jolted up and saw Cas sitting on the bed next to him. 

“It was a dream,” Cas said comfortingly. 

Dean huddled into Cas’s arms listening to Cas’s voice. Dean was drenched in sweat but he didn’t want to get up. He just needed to be with Cas, he needed to remind himself that he wasn’t in hell. He was safe. 

Once Dean finally calmed down he realized that Jack wasn’t in the room. “Jack?” His voice cracked as he tried to ask Cas where the kid was.

“He’s still with Gabriel. We’re trying to figure out what happened to heaven and the angels.” 

Dean nodded, “I’m fine now, go” his voice was still hoarse but he managed to get out the sentence. 

“I can stay.”

“I’m …. Fine ….. need to leave early anyway.” Dean slowly said as he started to get up. “Showering” he told Cas when he saw the questioning look on his face. 

“Call if you need anything.” Cas said, giving Dean a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek. Cas gave Dean one last look before leaving. Once Cas had left Dean took another shower. He wanted to wash off the feeling of hell. 

By the time he got out of the shower and got dressed he noticed that he still had about an hour before Monica would meet him. Dean sent a quick text to Monica saying that he was ready whenever she was and then he sat down and opened up his laptop. He decided to look up a brief history of this world, see if there were any major differences that they hadn’t noticed. 

After about thirty minutes he heard a soft knock on his door. Dean closed his laptop and opened it. Monica was standing outside holding two paper cups. 

“Sorry I didn’t mean to wake you.” Dean said accepting one cup and inviting her inside.

“You didn’t wake me.” 

Dean scoffed at that. 

“No really, I’ve been having a hard time sleeping since our Dean, Cas and Jack disappeared.” She said softly. Monica looked up at Dean's face. “Nightmares?” She asked.

Dean nodded. 

“Hell?”

Dean looked at her shocked that she knew. “Dee has them often. Hell, purgatory, old cases. Whenever Cas is gone the two of us keep each other company. It helps keep the nightmares at bay.”

Dean was watching Monica closely. She had this tough to read exterior but she was a very cautious girl. The way she’d sit, she would always sit at the edge of a chair, ready to move immediately. It was clear that she had a deep bond with the Dean of this universe. They must have gone through something together for them to be so close. Dean thinks back to his world and who he was close to. The closest person he could think of who wasn’t directly related was Cas or maybe Jack. At one time he thought about getting closer to Claire, but he was always putting others in danger so he kept their relationship the way it was. 

“What’s the biggest difference you’ve noticed between the worlds?” Monica asked, curious.

“Nothing in the grand scheme of things. It’s the people. And I guess the relationships.” Dean said thoughtfully. “Kevin died in our world, quite some time ago. So did Gabriel. Claire was with Jody. It really was just Jack, Cas, Sam and myself in the bunker.”

“Kevin died?” Monica repeated slowly. “Cas had told us that Claire didn’t stay with you but I didn’t know that. It makes more sense. You all looked like you were seeing a ghost.”

“Yeah we lost lots of people but together Sam and I would always keep fighting.” 

“Hmm” Monica hummed as she took a sip of her tea. She picked up her phone to check a notification. “Our guy is on his way. We can get going if you are ready.”

The two drove over to the diner and met the boy as he was opening the doors. 

“Kyle. Are you ready to talk now?” Monica asked as she walked into the diner. 

“Yes.” Kyle said looking around to make sure no one else was there. 

They sat with Kyle for about two hours. Kyle was moving around, getting the diner all ready for customers while he told them all about the victim. Apparently they were partners for a school project. The two had noticed that a strange man seemed to be following them. Stalking them whenever they would leave school. Kyle suspected that the man was the one who kidnapped the girl. Kyle didn’t know who the man was but was able to describe him enough for Monica to draw a scarily detailed picture. With all the information that Kyle gave the two had enough to get the police to do the hard work, track down the man. 

Things started to move quickly, at least in the beginning. Dean and Monica were able to go talk to the police and get them to put out an APB for the man. Dean noticed that not many people questioned Monica, she didn’t really need to show her ID to get anything done. He asked her about it while they were waiting for an update from the police. 

“I guess Donna and Jody helped get the word out.” she shrugged. 

Dean was still curious so he googled Monica, private investigator and suddenly thousands of articles came through. She had her own website, media, and company. She had multiple branches of her own investigating company. That's when it clicked, Monica was able to successfully make a company that would legally allow them to investigate weird occurrences that may be monsters. She made hunting into a job without having the world know that monsters exist. Dean was impressed. 

Monica came running to Dean, “They think they have a location. They will be raiding it soon. We need to leave now if we want to be there.” She panted out. 

Dean already had the keys out ready to follow the cops. Once they got to the location they police surrounded the area. No one responded so they ended up doing a forced entry. Unfortunately the suspect was not in there. Instead they found one of the victims. She was the first one who had gone missing. There was a note that was left there too. 

_ Times running out, tick tok! _

The police quickly got the victim into the ambulance, sending a few of their men with her to get her statement once the doctors cleared her. Dean and Monica stayed back to search the place one more time in case they could find any more clues. They didn’t. 

On their way back Dean noticed a car following them. “Monica” he calmly called, not wanting to worry her.

“I noticed.”

“Why don’t you stay with me tonight?” 

Monica gave Dean a pointed look but then sighed. “Ok”

Hearing Monica agree helped Dean relax. He also sighed knowing that at least he could be there if this guy tried going after Monica too.

Once they got into Dean’s room Monica locked the door and leaned against it. “You know that I am a hunter too, I can take care of myself.” 

“I’m sure you can, but I can’t let anything destroy your reputation!” Dean's eyes twinkling as he responds. He’s enjoyed spending time with Monica. She was a smart, strong caring independent woman. 

Monica texted Kevin that she wasn’t coming back to their room tonight due to the suspect on the loose and then went to take a shower. Once Monica was out he went in to take a quick shower before calling it a night. After coming out of the shower he saw food on the table and Monica wearing one of his t-shirts. 

“Sorry, I didn’t want to bother the others and I can’t sleep in my work clothes.” Monica said blushing while looking down.

Dean brushed it off “No worries. Did you order from the hotel?” 

“No worries, I’ve got connections.” Monica joked back no longer worried. 

The two enjoyed their dinner and went to bed. Dean started dreaming about hell again. He was able to recognize it faster than the night before. It felt and sounded the same but there was a difference. This time he wasn’t being tortured, he was torturing others. He didn’t know who he was torturing at first but then he recognized her, it was Monica. As soon as he made the connection he woke up. 

His head was in Monica’s lap and she was running her fingers through his hair. She was muttering something in enochian, Dean thought it sounded the same as what Cas would sometimes whisper in his ear. Dean slowly got up but stopped once he felt Monica gently pushing him back down. 

“Just relax. Dean always falls asleep again pretty peacefully after I do this.”

Dean wanted to argue but his mind was going fuzzy. Before he knew it he was in a deep dreamless sleep. 

The next day the two had a slow morning. They were in no rush to get anywhere as the police had yet to locate their suspect. Dean heard his phone ring and went to pick it up. It was Sam, apparently Junior hadn’t gotten back last night and now Sam was freaking out. At the same time Monica was showing Dean a note that was slipped under their door. Dean wanted to help Sam but the note showed that Monica was the suspect's next victim. 

Sam understood the situation and wished them luck, while Dean promised to come help the second this man was behind bars. Monica and Dean rushed out to start searching for the kidnapper themselves. 

Monica’s plan was to lure him out now that they knew for sure that he was after her. Then Dean would be able to get him. Dean wasn’t thrilled but they couldn’t think of any better plan other than waiting. Dean went off in a different direction than Monica but tried to keep an eye on her. 

The kidnapper was pretty good. Dean had almost missed him but Monica’s squeal helped him. Dean immediately started running after the man. Monica had been able to free herself but she’d twisted her ankle in the process. Dean saw the man getting further away so he pulled out his gun and shot him in the leg. The police showed up the moment the man was hit. They took it from there. 

Dean helped Monica back to the hotel and wrapped up her ankle. Once he dropped her back in her room Claire told him that Junior was safe and that the others were done with their hunt as well. Knowing that everyone would want a night to sleep and recover they decided to check out and drive back to the bunker the next morning. 

Cas, Jack and Gabriel showed up when Monica returned the keys. Cas immediately came over to Dean asking how he was. Dean told him he had another dream but he was fine. Cas didn’t seem to believe him but he didn’t push anymore either. When Dean tried asking about the angels Cas looked defeated. This problem wasn’t something that they could just slap on a bandaid and call it a day. 

Dean smiled as he saw Jack and Monica talking. He had enjoyed the case but he also really wanted to get back to the bunker. “Cas, keys.” He said, putting his palm out waiting. Dean played his music and let himself enjoy the drive. It wasn’t baby but it was good enough for now. Everyone was safe and that’s all Dean could ask for. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Dean is having nightmares about hell. What do you think is causing that? Is it normal nightmares or something else?


	24. Chapter 24

Cas was worried. They have been on this earth for a while and they haven’t gotten any closer to figuring out the problem. The angels were missing, their counterparts were missing, Dean was having nightmares about hell again, and Junior—Cas didn’t know what was going on with Junior but clearly something was. All in all, Cas was stressed and frustrated. 

It seemed like the other two hunts or cases had gone well. A few days after they had gotten back to the bunker they all sat down and told each other what they had been through. Junior was the only one who didn’t talk. He had sat in the corner of the room and listened. Once the conversation was over he quickly shuffled out the room and locked himself alone into his. 

Monica had stopped by just as Junior was leaving. She had asked if Dean wanted to hang out with her. Dean agreed and the two went off to a different part of the bunker. Dean had been spending a great deal of time with her. It seemed that they two had enjoyed each other’s company. Cas didn’t mind. This was a good thing. Dean had told him about how Monica was able to help calm him when he had nightmares about hell again. Also, it seemed that she trusted Dean and would be willing to tell him about this world. They desperately needed people to tell them as much as they could since the rest of the group was struggling to figure out what was causing the problem for Jack. 

Jack was also frustrated but he was hiding it well. He said something about needing to talk to Claire and followed Dean and Monica out. That left Sam and Cas in the room. Cas noticed that Sam was having an internal struggle. Sam wasn’t sure if he should give Junior some more time or if he should try talking to him again. Sam looked tired, there were dark circles under his eyes and he wasn’t eating enough. Though they had heard the story there was something Sam was hiding that was causing this stress. 

“Sam, are you alright?” Cas asked while patting at the spot next to him hoping Sam would take a seat. 

Sam waved him off, “I’m fine Cas.” 

“Sam, what happened to Junior during your hunt?” 

Cas saw Sam shudder every so slightly. There were tears in his eyes. Cas went to give Sam a supportive hug. “We can help him, I just need to know what happened.” He said softly.

Sam broke down and explained everything. Then Cas understood why Sam was struggling so much. While Junior was possessed by a ghost most emotions and things said were just exaggerated emotions. That being said, they were still emotions that were already there. Cas walked Sam back to his room and put him into bed. Sam was resisting but Cas insisted that he needed to rest. Cas helped put Sam to sleep and went out to Junior’s room ready to talk. 

He was about to knock on the door when he heard voices coming from the inside. He stopped and listened in for a moment.

“Junior you know that you aren’t a burden right?” Cas heard Jack say.

“DJ, sorry, I mean Junior… I” the voice sounded like Claire, “I’m sorry. I know you aren’t the person I’m thinking of and it was unfair for me to treat you like that.”

“You wouldn’t even look at me” Cas heard Junior whimper.

“You know me in your world don’t you? I guess we have a different relationship there.”

There was a halt in the conversation, some muttering and Cas couldn’t make out what was being said.

“Junior you need to talk to your dad. He’ll understand, I promise,” Cas heard Jack say as there was movement coming towards the door. Cas quickly moved away from the door not wanting to be caught eavesdropping.

“I’ll let you two talk,” Jack said, opening the door. The door was quickly shut and Jack gave Cas a knowing glance. 

“How did you know?” Cas asked curious as to how Jack had reached Junior before him. 

Jack raised his eyebrow at Cas. Then Cas remembered, Jack was god, he could feel any souls in distress. “Junior called out to you?” Cas asked.

“Actually Claire did, but she didn’t know she was praying to me…” Jack said thoughtfully. Jack came closer to Cas. “Let’s go, we should talk to Kevin.” 

Cas looked back at Junior’s door. 

“They’re fine, he’s doing better.” Jack said confidently. 

Cas trusted Jack and followed him out to the study. Once they arrived they saw Dean and Monica sitting with Kevin. They all seemed to be in their own world. 

Jack went to sit down with Kevin and chat about his visions as a prophet. Cas sat down with them and listened in. Jack had reached out to comfort Kevin when both men froze. Kevin dropped the iPad he was holding and Jack started shaking. 

Everyone’s reactions were immediate. Monica jumped to Kevin’s side while Dean and Cas were holding Jack. Luckily both men quickly came out of the trance.

“You had a vision” both Cas and Monica said to Jack and Kevin. 

Kevin looked at Jack while Jack turned to Dean. “Your nightmares, you were in hell?” Jack asked. 

Dean looked to Cas confused, “yes” 

“Was it just you? Or anyone else there?” Jack continued to press. 

Dean looked uncomfortable. Cas knew about Deans dreams and how could Dean say he was torturing the poor girl in front of them. Cas started talking to Jack in his mind. 

_ Jack, Dean can’t say who else was there out loud. But he’s seen Monica in his dreams. Why? _

_ Anyone else? _

_ Me as well but why? They were just nightmares.  _

Cas was brought back to the table when he heard Monica’s voice. “Kev, what did you see.” 

“Dean’s in hell.” Kevin said in a flat voice. 

Monica’s knees locked and she dropped to the ground with a cry escaping her lips. 

“I don’t think he’s there anymore… I …” Jack started to say but his voice faded off.

“But you both had visions” Dean said worried. 

“But  _ you _ haven’t had any since the case.” Jack responded. “Dean I think your nightmares were what this world's Dean was seeing. You haven’t had any more nightmares so I think he’s made it out somehow.” 

“Should we check?” Kevin asked Monica. 

Monica nodded. “But I don’t trust Crowley. We need to be prepared.”

“I’ll call Gabe.” Kevin said while helping Monica into a chair. 

“I’ll get the others.” Cas responds. Since Dean was taking care of Jack he ran to grab Junior, Sam and Claire. Cas explained the situation as quickly as he could as they rushed back to the study. 

“Gabe can’t join us right now, will you two be comfortable with handling Crowley if needed?” Monica was asking while she and Kevin laid out a tarp. 

“A tarp with the demon trap.” Sam muttered to himself. 

“Do you draw one out every time?” Claire asked confused.

“Generally yes, it’s that or open a direct portal into hell.” Cas said. 

Kevin Claire and Monica all stopped and stared at Cas appalled. “Why would you open… you know what I don’t even want to know.” Claire said after seeing Cas’s sheepish look. 

“We can handle Crowley,” Cas replied to Monica’s previous question. 

“You all open portals to hell, of course you’ll be able to handle Crowley.” Kevin muttered, sounding dismayed. 

“Wait maybe that’s what we should do!” Claire exclaimed. “We can go there ourselves and get Dean out.”

“No!” Monica said firmly. “No one is going to hell.”

Cas shared a quick look with Dean and Jack. They all seemed to be thinking the same thing. It was an option they could consider but it only made sense if this world's Dean was actually in hell. Jack seemed pretty confident that this Dean had made it out already. 

“You wouldn’t need to come! We could—“ Claire was still trying to convince Monica. Monica’s face was losing color.

“Claire, listen to Monica.” Cas said in a firm voice. Claire stopped immediately and Monica sent a thanking look to Cas. “Let’s try this first, going to hell is the plan if we’ve exhausted all other options.”

With everything set up Kevin starts the demon summoning spell. With a small poof Crowley appears. 

“Hello boys.” Crowley says while turning around. He steps back a little stunned, “and the large group. Wow the whole lot of you are here this time aren’t you?”

“Where is he?” Claire asks coming forward to stand in front of Crowley. 

“Who dearie, your gonna have to be more specific.”

“Dean, where is Dean Winchester?” Cas says, standing next to Claire. 

Crowley turns and looks at Dean. “Is this some kind of practical joke? I’ve got places to be you know.”

“Crowley, where is he.” Monica says now.

“Girlie, if you can’t see him when he’s in the same room as you what can I do?” Crowley responds. “Though I know quite a few demons who are waiting for you girlie. What do you say? Hitch a ride back with me?”

“Crowley…” pretty much everyone in the room says in a menacing tone. 

Crowley puts his hands up in a defensive manner, “geez tough crowd. I thought since gigantor was here you all were more accepting.”

“They are from another world. I’m asking you once more. Where is Dean?” Monica says without losing eye contact.

“Another world? Interesting…. I’ll need to look into that. Oh calm down girlie, stop glaring at me. We wouldn’t want your face to get stuck like that. We really don’t have him. He was down there with us but he’s out now. I swear he came to us, I didn’t take him or anything.” Crowley responded. “Can I leave now?”

“Wait, where is he now?” Cas asked curious if this crowley was anything like the one he knew. Would this Crowley help them or was he untrustworthy?

“If I knew that then why would I have thought he was standing next to you? God, these other world people are lunatics. Careful girlie, tif you spend too much time with them you may lose all those pretty brain cells of yours.”

“Alright that's enough” Kevin starts to scratch a small line on the tarp, “You're free to go.”

“Toodalu” and with that Crowley vanished. 

Kevin grabbed some paint to make sure the tarp would be ready for the next time, while Monica and Claire sat down rubbing their foreheads. 

“At least he’s not in hell?” Claire said sadly. 

“God help me, Dean if you, Cas and Jack don’t get back here in one piece I will kill you all myself.” Monica muttered opening up her laptop. 

“What are you doing?” Kevin asked, placing the folded tarp next to Monica.

“Looking for another case or hunt. Something. I’ll go insane just sitting here.” Monica said looking through her emails. 

Everyone sat down to start looking for hunts that seemed interesting to them. Cas was looking through the news when he came across one. “Hey, there are multiple disappearances in the woods in Minnesota. Apparently there are many more bear attacks than they have had in the past few years.” 

“Sounds like a Wendigo,” Sam said, moving over to Cas to look at the article himself. 

“I’m down,” Claire said, shutting her laptop. “Hey Junior, have you hunted a Wendigo yet?” 

“Nope.” Junior responded. Out of the corner of his eye Cas saw Sam flinch when Junior responded.

“Well you are in luck, I’m going to teach you all the tricks.” Claire said while moving next to Junior to start giving him tips on what to look for and what books to read. 

Cas was glad that Claire and Junior were speaking to each other. Junior seemed to be doing better now that he had someone closer to his age to talk to. Claire was older than him, but the two were similar. In this world at least. He’d have to talk to Sam again later, to see how he can help ease the poor man’s stress and fear.

Cas heard a soft thud behind him. Gabriel had returned. “Sorry, I guess I missed Crowley.” he said with dried blood stains on his face. There was a cut on his forehead that seemed to have clotted.

“Gabe?” Kevin quickly ran over to Gabriel with a towel in his hand trying to wipe off the blood. “What happened to you?” 

“I found it.” Gabriel said, stopping Kevin from wiping his face. “I found the book of angel tablets.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little visit from Crowley! What do you think? As always I hope you enjoyed the chapter and let me know if you have any comments/critiques!


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own supernatural or the characters from the show.

The book of angel tablets? Jack was not aware of a book of them. He knew that there were a few tablets that Chuck had made but a whole book of them in one world? Jack was very intrigued. This could have the solution to all the problems. 

“I can’t believe dad made it so we can’t read the tablets. It’s so stupid. Plus no one’s heard from dad in years so asking him is out of the question. Which leaves me with one option. Kev, my young protege, the one I’d give my life for, the reason I came down to earth, dad’s special chosen one…” Gabriel starts making theatrical gestures. “Will you do me the honor of translating this book?” 

“The whole book!” Kevin exclaimed. “That could take years maybe decades based on how long it is.”

“I mean, just translate chapter titles then we can prioritize.” Gabe pleads.

Jack knew he could read that book and understand it, probably faster than Kevin would be able to. Part of him wanted to tell them that but he also knew that Gabriel was strong. He could feel that Gabriel of this world had a complicated relationship with God and Jack still felt awkward telling archangels that he, the young once nephilim, is now god. He’d have to try to sneak peaks at the book once everyone slept.

“So what do you say Jack?” Jack was snapped out of his thoughts once he heard his name being called.

“I’m sorry, what happened?” Jack asked, noticing people waiting for a response.

“You, Cas, Dean and Kev will stay with me. The rest will go check out the hunt” Gabriel said. “We’ll be on call of course, if they need us.”

Why wasn’t Dean going with the others? Jack was still confused but he didn’t really have any problems with the proposed plan. “Sure?” He responded while sending Cas and Dean a questioning look. 

“Great, we'll leave tomorrow.” Claire said standing up to grab a snack. 

“Kevin, bud, you're with me. Let’s get started” Gabriel exclaimed while Kevin groaned. 

_ Jack, meet us in our room to talk. _ Jack heard Cas send a message. Jack lingered around for a few moments waiting to see if Kevin and Gabriel would return. When they didn’t he went over to Dean and Cas’s room. 

“Book of angel tablets?” Dean asked as Jack entered the room.

“I wasn’t aware that it existed. Chuck had a lot of things that I’m still learning about.” Jack said sitting down still confused. “Why are you staying?”

“They want me here in case I get another dream about this world's Dean. Or something.” Dean grumbled. “I do better with actual hunting than researching.” 

“We know, but you can relax for a while. Too many hunters in one spot is never a good thing anyways.” Cas reassured Dean. 

Dean groaned and fell back onto his bed. 

“Jack you can easily read the tablets, do you think it’s time to tell them?” Cas asks. 

“Gabriel is annoyed with Chuck.” Jack started

“Aren’t we all” Dean muttered

Jack ignored Dean, “he already thinks I’m a new angel. A young one that knows nothing. I don’t know how he’ll react to me stealing chuck’s powers.” Jack squeezes the bridge of his nose. “I can’t have an archangel as powerful as Gabriel against me.”

“We can explain it, Gabriel has typically been understanding.” Cas says placing a comforting hand on Jack. 

“It’s different here. He’s had different experiences. It could be good for us or it could go terribly wrong. I’m just not ready yet Cas.” Jack responded. 

“So what are we doing then?” Dean asked as he sat up again.

“Do you mind if I check your memories? You don’t need to consciously think about them. I just want to see if Kevin saw the same thing.” Jack asks Dean.

“I don’t need to think about them?”

“Nope, you and Cas can talk about anything. I’ll be spaced out anyways.”

“Ok.” Dean tentatively scoots forward. 

Jack starts searching Dean's memories of hell. The dreams he had were so vivid. More so than Cas mentioned. Jack was always amazed with human dreams. They contained so much but often the human mind didn’t have the time to thoroughly capture it all. Most humans don’t remember their dreams. These visions that they receive are similar. Sometimes they are there but humans don’t remember them by the time they awaken. 

Jack quickly found the dream/memory that he was looking for. He did a quick assessment taking mental notes about the similarities and differences between Dean's dream and Kevin’s vision. Afterwards he noticed a few more similar dreams. Dean probably didn’t even realize that he had them. Jack took a peek to make sure that they were of the same nature. It was easy to tell as Dean and Cas looked different in these dreams. Jack searched through these dreams noticing that they were showing how this world’s Dean had made it out of hell. This world's Cas and Jack had been able to rescue him from hell but Jack couldn’t locate where they ended up. It was all foggy. Actually it was a whirlwind all around them. This looked like a power vortex. Power spinning around all over the place while the men were stuck in the middle. While they were concerned they seemed more relaxed since they were out of hell. Jack tried to keep searching for clues within the dream but he was struggling to find any. In the end he gave up and exited Dean's dreams. 

Once he was back to the present he noticed that Dean was asleep against Cas. Cas was leaning back relaxing and stroking Deans hair. 

“You took a while,” Cas spoke softly not to wake Dean. 

“I found more dreams that were visions about our counterparts.”

Cas gently moved Dean into a comfortable position on the bed and got up. 

“Let’s go to your room so he can sleep.” Cas mentioned while quietly opening the door. 

The two of them went into Jack’s room and started talking about Jack’s findings. Jack explained what he saw while Cas asked more questions. Neither of them were able to decipher the location of the missing people but they did feel better knowing that the three of them were together. They spoke about theories for the rest of the night. 

In the morning they went down to the library to see what Gabriel had in store. Kevin had a stack of papers with notes and was hunched over a tablet. Gabriel was carefully looking through the notes and pulling out books. 

“Hey guys, grab his notes and find relevant books we have. Hopefully he doesn’t need to translate the whole book and we can find what we need in here” Gabriel gestures to the shelves of books, and cabinets of files. 

Jack and Cas started looking through the notes. Kevin was actually pretty good at this translation. Every once in a while he’d watch over Kevin’s shoulder and notice that Kevin was moving pretty quickly for a human translating the word of god. 

An hour later Dean walked in with two full plates of breakfast.

“Aww you didn’t bring enough to share?” Gabe asked sarcastically.

“Only for the humans being forced into this.” Dean winked at Kevin while placing one plate next to him. “You angels can fend for yourselves.”

“Cassie, your boyfriend here is being mean to me!” Gabriel whined. 

Cas rolled his eyes and continued looking through the filing cabinet. 

Gabriel does a stabbing motion at his heart, “The loving couple refuses to interact with me! Whatever have I done?” He turned to Jack. “Baby angel, you’re on my side right?”

Jack moved his eyebrows to a questioning manner, “I’m always on Cas and Dean's team.” 

“Kev?” Gabriel asks hopefully.

“Dean brought me food, Dean gets my love.” Kevin responded while scarfing down the food.

This routine continued for a few days. Jack didn’t really get a chance to look at the tablets himself but they were reading some interesting books and files about angels. In this world the men of letters actually were quite familiar with the angels. They had lots of references to sift through. Jack was deep in a book when he heard Sam calling out for him. 

_ JACK we need help. Right now please hurry!” _

Jack dropped his book and immediately left to find the group that went out for the hunt. He didn’t even tell the others where he was going. The call had been so frantic. Jack was imagining the worst scenarios in his head. Jack suddenly stopped and realized he didn’t know where he was. He was trying to reach Sam but he wasn’t in Minnesota.

Wait maybe he was. He was confused he wasn’t in a location on the ground. He looked around and it just seemed foggy. The fog was thick around him and seemed to keep rushing towards him. Jack tried to move, picture any location to fly to but he was stuck. The more he tried to use the power the more fog showed up. Jack was starting to panic realizing that this was the foggy area where the visions showed multiple power sources. Was it him? Would he doom this world by trying to fix it? Jack's throat started to close up and he felt like he was drowning on land. His mind was rushing trying to find any place to reach out to. 

_ Jack JACK HELP! HELP! _

He could hear Sam calling out again. He tried to focus on Sam’s voice. He tried to jump to him. Use Sam as an anchor. His mind was clouded and he couldn’t see anything with the fog so thick around him. This felt like the empty, but instead of nothing he felt everything. His senses were on overdrive now noticing the presence of other things, people, supernatural beings? He wasn’t sure. All he knew was he wasn’t alone here. Problem was he couldn’t tell if they were there to help or to harm him. Jack felt his power being drained, the darkness was now clutching onto him. That wasn’t good, the darkness was scared of this? 

He asked the darkness for a helping push and together they were able to jump out of this foggy plane. Jack dropped right into a forest. Jack's mind still felt clouded and he still felt choked up. He couldn’t breathe normally yet. He was safe but his body and mind still thought that he was there in the fog. 

“Well baby angel, you need to work on your entrances.” 

  
Gabriel was here. Where was he? In the woods. He realized that Sam was here too. His throat finally relaxed enough for him to get out a few words. “need help Cas” he barely gets the words out before he’s gasping for breath again. He prays to Cas instead  _ Cas! Help! The darkness!  _ Everything around him was getting blurry. He couldn’t focus on anything. Suddenly he saw Cas. Jack shook his head, he was seeing double. Cas was on both sides of him. He couldn’t hear anything and his vision was going black. He felt someone take a hold of him as he was whisked back to the bunker. Jack finally felt his body relax knowing that he was somewhere truly safe. He let himself give in and fall unconscious. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think happened to Jack? Is Jack the cause of the problems in this world or is it something else?


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or the characters in the show.

Sam wasn’t ready to have Junior come on another hunt so soon. He still didn’t have a chance to talk to him about what happened in the last hunt. He wanted to tell him to stay back, stay with Dean, Cas and Jack. That this would be safer. He couldn’t do that though. Sam looked at Juniors face when Claire was teaching him different tricks to being prepared. His son was excited. He felt useful. 

Sam went back to his room to sit down for a while. He had to think about what exactly he wanted to talk about with his son. His kid had an outburst. That’s fine Sam could remember times he’d argued with his own dad. Sam just had to stay calm, listen and try to explain his point of view. 

He heard a knock on his door so he went to see who it was. Junior was standing there looking down at his shoes rocking back and forth. 

“Jack says we need to talk.” Junior mumbled, not daring to look up at Sam. 

Sam moves to the side allowing his son into the room. Junior looks around for a few moments unsure whether he should sit or stand. He decided to sit and Sam followed. 

Sam breaks the silence. “I’m sorry.” He says looking directly at Junior. “I’m sorry that you’ve been feeling this way. I… that’s never been the reason. You’re not a burden Deano.”

“You never took me on hunts. It was always mom who’d take me. You always brushed it off, even here you wanted me to leave… then I mess up.”

“You didn’t mess up.”

“Everyone seemed tense.”

“It’s hard hunting with people you don’t know that well.” Sam paused for a moment, “It seems like you and Claire are getting along.”

“She came to talk. Apparently she’s seen someone commit suicide before …..”

“Dean… are you?” Sam’s whole body was tense, scared what the answer would be. 

“No, that was the ghost. I couldn’t stop him, it was like someone else was controlling me.” Junior said quickly looking up at Sam. 

Sam sighed relieved that his son wasn’t suicidal. “Deano, you know you can talk to me anytime. We’ve worked through panic attacks. You don’t need to hide things from me or your mom.”

“You only seem to notice when I have panic attacks. Then immediately after you treat me like a kid,” Junior mumbled. “I want you to trust me. It feels like you don’t and I just want you to trust me, have some faith and confidence…”

“This is going to sound cliche but just hear me out ok… you are my entire life bud. Our family is what helps me keep fighting everyday. All I want is for you to be happy. I know you're smart. I have so much faith in you. You probably won’t understand this until you have kids but along with all the faith and trust comes something else. Fear. Dean ever since I held you for the first time I knew I’d do anything for you. And my family has made plenty of terrible deals and has given our lives for each other in the past so trust me when I say I would do ANYTHING for you. I was so scared that something bad would happen to my baby.”

“Dad”

“Let me finish.” Sam waits for Junior to nod. “My life hasn’t been an easy one. Hunting took over and things kept getting worse. We’d make it through as a family but I didn’t want that for you. I wanted to give you the safest happiest life I could. I guess I started to live vicariously through you. I’m sorry. But remember you are not a burden Deano, your my everything. I want you to talk to me. Yell at me if you need to. Just don’t keep secrets and ball things up. Your uncle and I had some rough times due to that.”

“Ok.” Junior said looking down again.

“I love you Deano” Sam placed a hand on his son’s arm. 

“Love you too.” Junior mumbled still looking at the ground. 

Sam went over to give his kid a big hug. They lingered there for a while. 

“You’re not happy that I’m coming on this hunt are you?”

Sam sighed and pulled away. “No, wendigos are tricky for experienced hunters but we will have lots of people looking out so I guess we’ll teach you.” Sam said in a resigned voice. “If anything seems to be going wrong call for Jack or Cas immediately ok. Jack is powerful and can find you and help you whenever.”

“Yeah yeah got it.” 

The two stood in silence for a short while not sure if either of them should move. When Junior tried to stifle a yawn Sam moved to get his son into bed.

“Go along now. Get some sleep. We’re probably going to be camping or something for the next few days so enjoy your bed while you can.” 

“G’night dad” Junior yawns as he shuffles out the door. 

Sam went over to his hunting duffel bag. He wanted to check everything tonight so he’d be ready to get going tomorrow. This really did sound like a wendigo so he had to make sure he packed enough flares. Once his bag was all packed Sam went to bed. 

The next morning the team left pretty early. His brother wasn’t awake yet. Sam was alright with that. He knew that Dean would be disappointed that he was forced to sit this out. Sam was secretly thrilled. He still remembered the time that Dean was taken by the Wendigo. He had to sound confident for the poor other kid but he was worried the entire hunt. He was hoping that this wendigo wasn’t as smart as that one from all those years ago. 

They all said goodbye to Kevin and went into the car. Sam drove while Monica sat shotgun. Claire and Junior went into the back so that they could prepare for the upcoming hunt. The ride was generally quiet, with most conversations around the general lore of wendigos and what Junior should be prepared for and watch out for. 

Before they headed out to the woods where the supposed bear attacks were happening they met Donna. Monica had spoken to her and asked for some camping gear. 

“Hi-ya Moni and Claire-bear!” Donna immediately jumps up to give the two girls a hug. “You both need to visit more often. Not just when a case comes around.” 

“You know that invitation goes both ways right?” Monica laughed while helping Donna move the camping gear into their car. 

“Oh you betcha! I’m sorry I can’t come with you girls. Duty calls, there’s someone vandalizing the streets and buildings and they decided to put me on it.” 

“It’s all good Donna. We’ve got the tall people here with us anyways” Claire joked pointing to Sam and Junior. 

Both Sam and Junior get out of the car and give a little wave. 

“You two must be the other world visitors. I’ll say you look just like the boys here.” She gives the two a quick handshake. Donna then turns to the girls and in a more quiet voice mentions, “the resemblance is uncanny. You two sure you’ll be alright?” 

Both girls nodded and gave a small smile. They all quickly said their goodbyes and headed off to the woods. 

It took them some time to find good camping ground. Once they set everything up they decided to scout the area some more. Sam was looking around at the tree tops to see if there were any scratches or signs of the wendigo around. 

The group met back at the campsite as it grew dark. None of them were able to find any signs. Sam was getting worried, this wendigo would have to be pretty smart and fast to not leave any signs of its attacks. 

There were a couple of other groups who had joined the camping grounds. It seemed that this was a popular site at this time of year. After having dinner the girls split and went into their tent and Junior joined Sam. 

They all went in waiting to see if the wendigo would hunt with so many people out. As it turned out it was a quiet night. Everyone was fine the next morning and there were no signs of any monster crawling through the woods. They repeated their search for anything remotely monster-like. Sam had found a cave but when he explored it there was nothing there other than a small stream. 

Sam returned to the campsite disappointed again. They all slept wondering if they even had an actual case here. If it was a wendigo they knew it would feed again soon. It hadn’t met its typical limit of people it would grab for hibernation. 

The next morning Sam woke to commotion on the campground. Junior was already outside the tent. 

“What happened?” Sam asked, noticing Claire and Junior walking back away from the group of campers. 

“Someone’s missing,” Junior responded. 

“We didn’t hear anything last night” Monica muttered frowning. 

“No signs of attack or distress. It’s like someone just vanished.” Claire said, placing her hand on her hips. “Since when do wendigos leave no trails? And only take one person from a large group?”

“We may not be dealing with a wendigo. We should go back and research the disappearances more. Maybe there’s another pattern that we overlooked.” Sam said trying to think through their actual evidence. 

“We can’t just leave, this thing is silent and is able to get these people. Sam there are multiple people missing in these woods.” Monica responds frustrated.

“We’ll go, DJ and I can get some research, talk to the locals about their beliefs and legends. See if anyone has any stories that can help. You two stay. Hopefully a flare gun will work on whatever this thing is.” Claire says. 

Sam and Junior were fine with this idea. Junior felt that he was being useful while Sam had the relief and satisfaction that his son would be out of the woods and away from this monster. Sam turned to Monica who seemed worried. Claire and Monica went to talk alone. Meanwhile Sam was helping Junior pack up. Once the two girls returned Claire and Junior started heading back into the town. 

Sam and Monica go to the group of campers to learn more about the most recent disappearance. Apparently all the campers were about to go do a search out in the woods hoping to find the guy. There was no way that Sam or Monica would be able to convince them not to go so they decided to follow along, try to make sure no one else got hurt. 

“Hey! You’re that famous detective right?” Sam heard someone call out.

Monica straightened up, “I don’t know about famous…”

“Hey everyone we have a detective with us! We’ll find him in no time!” the man exclaimed to the group. 

Monica turned to Sam, “Did your brother tell you?”

“Yeah, it’s actually quite amazing what you’ve accomplished!” Sam praised. 

“It wasn’t all me, our Dean really was the mastermind behind it.” Monica sighs. “I guess we can’t go as incognito as you’d hoped.”

“It’s fine, at least they’ll listen to you if you sense any danger.”

“I guess.” Monica grabbed two packs with the flare guns, food and water. They knew searching for missing people in these woods will not be easy. They’ve been doing it for a few days and haven’t found anything yet. 

While searching the woods Sam noticed there were tracks going in a different direction. The tracks were human and animals. The weird thing was that they were next to each other. 

“Hey Monica!” Sam called pointing at the tracks. 

“They’re too large to be a dog, it seems like a wolf.” Monica said quietly while taking a closer look at the animal tracks. 

Sam snapped a quick picture and sent it to Junior in case it would help them with their research. 

It started to get windy and darker. The group of campers slowly start making their way back to the camp ground. It was only midday but a storm seemed to be rolling in. Everyone was preparing for the rain. 

Monica and Sam went into their tent to try to run through their theories. The best one seemed to be that it was actually werewolves. They came in their human form and then lured their prey out. It still didn’t make sense why there were human tracks and wolf tracks. Both Sam and Monica were only aware of werewolves that shift during a full moon. Not on command. Here though it was not a full moon. The disappearances seemed random. They had no correlation with the lunar calendar. 

Later that evening when everyone was in their own tents Monica and Sam noticed a person leaving. They both looked at each other and quickly got out to follow him. The man was alone and was wandering the woods. The theory right now was that this was a werewolf, however they did not have the right hunting gear to stop any attack. So rather than going in guns blazing they were sticking to the background. Trying to make sure that their theory was correct. 

The man kept walking through the woods alone for another hour. Sam felt a soft vibration, his phone was ringing. He moved to the side to hide behind a tree when he answered it. 

“Dad, Dad it’s a Vrykolaka.” Sam heard his son exclaim. “It’s similar to a vampire but it works with werewolves.”

Sam called Monica over and leaned down hoping she would be able to listen in. Claire and Junior both went through explaining what they had found. The monsters would work together. A vrykolaka could only target people who were banished. In this day and age, however, it seems like the feeling of loneliness was enough. Once they had their target they would need to eat meat that was caught by a werewolf to turn into a Vrykolaka. Since this was the case most Vrykolakas would work together with a werewolf or a pack. They would get a few humans and split them amongst themselves. 

Sam and Monica were so focused on the phone call that they didn’t notice something creeping closer to them. Suddenly a twig snapped and Monica and Sam pulled out their guns. 

They heard a growl. And Sam shot in that direction. It wouldn’t kill it but he could at least harm it and slow it down. Unfortunately he missed. The two no longer saw the werewolf and started running. 

While running the wolf caught up to them, Monica gave a slight screech when she felt the wolf’s claws against her back. Sam tried shooting again to give Monica enough time to get away. Her clothes were torn and her back was bleeding. The wolf was distracted momentarily but then continued to chase after them. 

While running Sam sent a quick prayer to Jack asking for help. Sam saw the wolf about to jump on Monica and he quickly pushed her away. He curled up bracing for the impact. The wolf landed on top of him and Sam was trying to wrestle his way out. He felt a sharp pain in his right shoulder and cried out. Almost immediately after he cried out the wolf disappeared in a flash. In its place stood Gabriel. 

“Heard you needed help.” Gabriel said while looking at Monica and Sam. Before Sam could get up there was another thud. Jack had just landed on his back behind Gabriel. 

“Well baby angel, you need to work on your entrances.” Gabriel said, turning around. 

Sam knew something was wrong with Jack, Jack was starting to have a slight glow all around him. 

_ Cas, Jack needs help. He’s with us but somethings wrong.  _ Sam sends another quick prayer. He slowly crawls closer trying to calm Jack down the way he saw his brother do before. Jack was mumbling incoherently. Luckily Cas had shown up momentarily and quickly put up a shield around Jack. 

“What’s going—” 

“I need to get him back now.” Cas interrupted Gabriel and looked at Sam. “I’m sorry I can’t help, I need to save my energy for Jack.” 

“Go,” Sam nods as Cas and Jack swiftly disappear. 

“Gabriel handle the Vrykolaka please. We’ll drive back. I can handle the injuries.” Monica said, frowning. 

Gabriel frowned and looked to Sam waiting for any more information. Seeing that Saw wasn’t about to say anything Gabriel grabbed the two and dropped them off with Claire and Junior in a motel room. Afterwards he also disappeared. 

Monica seemed mad but started to tend to her wounds with Claire’s help. Afterwards she reset Sam’s dislocated shoulder and checked for any other injuries. Monica and Sam went into the backseats due the ride home, both needing some time to rest. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or the characters.

Dean was reading a book about locking heaven when he heard a thud on the floor. He looked up and saw that Jack had left. Everyone had stopped and looked up waiting to see if Jack would return. Dean gave Cas a worried look. Jack normally told them if he had to go somewhere. Cas had walked over to pick up what Jack had been reading. 

“Somethings wrong with the hunt.” Gabriel said before disappearing himself. Now Dean was really concerned. Did something happen to Sammy or Junior? Was that why Jack had left so abruptly? He went over to Cas wanting to at least be next to him. Neither one of them could comfort each other when Jack went off on his own. They both worried too much for their own good. Dean saw Kevin had stood up and started pacing. 

“I’m sure they’ll be fine.” Dean tried to comfort Kevin. 

Kevin grimaced and kept pacing around the library. Dean turned back to Cas who was frowning. “Jack needs help. Somethings wrong.” Cas muttered to Dean. As soon as the words left Cas’s mouth he was gone too, leaving just Kevin and Dean alone in the room. 

“It’s bad isn’t it? If all three angels left, it's bad.” Kevin was fiddling his fingers now pacing faster.

“Kevin, they are angels. They’ll fix whatever happened. I’m sure—”

“We’re dating,” Kevin interrupted.

“Congrats?” Dean says not sure where Kevin was going. 

“I know it’s not the same. Moni and I were waiting to tell him. Our Dean. It’s… He would have pretended to be mad but….” 

“Well I can pretend to be mad if you want…” Dean joked trying to lighten the mood. 

“The last time she was with Samuel, from our world, she ended up in hell.” Kevin said sadly. “That’s why we have a hard time trusting him.”

Dean didn’t say anything. Clearly there was more to the story but Kevin wasn’t ready to explain it all. 

“Gabe loves her, and would’ve gotten her right away but he had to stay with me. He’s my guardian angel. He had to ‘protect the prophet of the lord’” Kevin was rambling.

“Hey, I wouldn’t blame yourself for that.” Dean placed a hand on Kevin’s shoulder.

Kevin looked up at Dean, “that’s what they all said. That it wasn’t my fault. But it feels like it was you know? If you can’t save the one you love then what are you doing? I hadn’t even told her how I felt at that point. She was just gone.”

Dean thinks back to all the times he lost Cas. Too many times. Each time it killed him to keep going. He may not have realized his feelings completely but they were there. “I know how that feels.” Dean opted to say rather than trying to comfort Kevin. “She knows now right?” Kevin nods tears threatening to fall. “Then there’s nothing else you can do but wait. Trust that she’ll fight to come back.”

“Sometimes you're just like him. It’s uncanny…” Kevin says looking awestruck. Dean gives the kid a hug. The two only pulled away when they heard the alarm that someone arrived in the bunker. 

They turned around and saw Cas carrying a glowing Jack. 

“Jack!” Dean cried out as he rushed to Cas. 

Kevin went over to a small panel in the room to shut off the alarm then returned not sure what he should do. 

“This is bad. Dean I don’t know what to do.” Cas places Jack down on a nearby couch and starts to mutter phrases in enochian. 

Dean rushes out of the room to go get a few cool towels. Once he returns he sees Gabriel standing next to Kevin tapping his foot. Dean ignores them for now and rushes to Cas’s side. Placing the damp towels on Jack's forehead and wrists. 

Jack shuddered a bit as Cas finished the enochian spell. Dean feels Cas swaying next to him so he grabs onto Cas’s shoulders to keep him upright. “Cas, let’s get you into a chair bud.” 

“Can’t leave Jack. He…” Cas trails off as Dean slowly walks him over to the second couch in the room. 

“I’ll move you next to him but you can’t destroy yourself while taking care of him.” Dean whispered to Cas as he placed him into the couch. Once Cas was sitting he pushed the couch over next to Jack. 

“Explain.” Gabriel demanded with his arms crossed.

Dean continued to ignored him as he pulled his own chair up to the other side of Jack and started to gently play with Jack's hair. Jack was still glowing and wasn’t saying a word. In fact if it wasn’t for the glow Dean would have thought that Jack was dead. 

“Why is he..” Dean asked Cas who was gripping Jack’s arm. 

“His power. It is leaving. He needs … back in.” Cas responds in broken sentences. 

“What is he?” Gabriel was now towering over Dean. “An angel would not survive whatever happened to him.”

“Not our story to tell so stop asking.” Dean responded exasperated. “Ask him when he’s conscious.” 

“Gabe…” Kevin started to ask nervously since the archangel was trembling with anger. “Is she… are they…”

“The rest are fine. Injuries but they’ll live.” Gabriel tells Kevin softly. “I had to finish up the hunt and they decided to drive back.” 

Kevin nods relieved. The kid was going back to the tablets when they heard a doorbell. Deans head shot up. They were back already? That couldn’t be it would take much longer for them to arrive. Also why would they use a doorbell? Dean wasn’t even aware that the bunker had a doorbell.

“Kevin go, call if you need me.” Gabriel said, still staring at Jack. 

Once Kevin left the room Gabriel started asking questions again. “What is he? Is he dangerous?”

“No.” Dean stood between Gabriel and Jack. No one was about to threaten his kid when the kid wasn’t even conscious to defend himself. “He’s just a kid.”

“That glow, it's a power that I’ve never seen in an angel.” Gabriel said expecting Dean to give a better response. 

“You’re right.” Cas mutters. “It’s not. But you know what you’re seeing.”

“What did dad give him more powers than archangels? Why would he do that? Were we not enough?”

“Look, we aren’t answering anything unless the kid tells us that we can. So unless you can help him stop asking.” Dean snaps.

“I can easily kill you, you know? It would not be wise to anger me.” Gabriel stepped closer to Dean. 

Dean stood his ground and stared right back at the archangel. “You could, but you also know they care about me. What good would that do to get those two angry? Especially if you’re lacking angels here?” 

“Dean, stop.” Cas softly pleads.

Dean and Gabriel stopped arguing out loud but were still having a staring contest, neither one backing down. 

“Gabe, I tried to stop…” Kevin came rushing into the room. Both Dean and Gabriel turned at Kevin’s concerned voice. 

“Eileen?” Dean asked, taking a step forward. 

Eileen put her arms up defensively, “I wouldn’t have come if I hadn’t exhausted all my options. I can’t find them.”

“How long?” Gabriel asked, lips pursed. 

“Over a month… I didn’t check. We were having problems…” Eileen stuttered. “I know you don’t get along but… your still family, right?” Eileen had turned to Dean looking hopeful.

“I..” Dean wasn’t sure how to respond.

“Yet somehow that always seems to harm us doesn’t it?” Kevin said, sounding mad. 

“I’m sorry. I’ve tried, you know.” Eileen's shoulders dropped. “I…”

“We know. Kevin, take her to a room. Eileen, get some rest. We'll talk tomorrow. There’s more going on than you know. Also we’ve got a situation here ourselves.” Gabe said in a softer voice. “None of us ever blamed you.” 

Eileen seemed relieved and accepted that response. She followed Kevin out. 

“This is a mess.” Gabriel muttered to himself as he sat in front of Jack. 

“What are you doing?” Both Cas and Dean jumped up as Gabriel put his arm out in front of Jack’s body. 

“Let’s see if this will help.” Gabriel said. He looked at Cas, “Dean is right, I can’t make any enemies right now, and this kid is obviously more powerful than me.” Gabriel then turned to Dean, “you haven’t given me any reasons not to trust you yet, so may I?” 

Dean looks over nervously at Cas. Just a moment ago the archangel was ready to kill them and now he wanted to help? This was screaming danger to Dean but he wasn’t sure what to do. Realistically he couldn’t stop the archangel and Cas and Jack were in a bad state. Cas gave a small nod so Dean let Gabriel use his mojo. 

Gabriel waved his hand over Jack’s body and the glow around him dimmed. It wasn’t completely gone but it was softer. Gabriel then turned to Cas and touched his forehead. Cas gasped and straightened up.

“Thank you.” Cas says gratefully.

Gabriel nods and moves back. “You two really won’t tell me?”

Cas shook his head sadly as Dean sighed, “We promised him. I wish we could but…” 

“Fine, he should recover in about 36-48 hours. I’ll do my thing again in 24. I also need time to recover.”

“Thank you.” Dean says now relaxing. He knew that with everything going on they didn’t need an archangel against them right now. 

“I guess it’s time to get back to these.” Gabriel said moving back to the books. 

Dean grabs his book and goes back to sit next to Jack. He may not be able to do anything for Jack but he could keep him company. He could be at his side once he woke up. 

“Moni called, they are on their way back. They should be back early tomorrow. Claire’s driving straight through.” Kevin told everyone as he came back to the library. All four men went back to their routine, reading the different files and books. 

About two hours later Dean realized that the book he was on might actually be helpful. “Wait Gabriel what exactly happened to heaven?” Dean asked, wanting to be sure this would be helpful before showing it to everyone.

“It either is locked or just gone. I don’t know how to explain it.” Gabriel said, still reading a few files. 

Cas came over and looked over Dean's shoulder. “What do you think?” Dean asked Cas.

“Gabriel, this may be helpful.” Cas called Gabriel over as he took a closer look. 

Gabriel skimmed over the page and then grabbed the book. Dean decided to switch out the towels while Gabriel and Cas looked at the book. Once he was done he turned back to Gabriel. 

“You’re close. This is the spell that kicks out all the angels from heaven. Our situation is similar but it somehow was kicking out angels on earth as well.” Gabriel mentioned.

“How are you still here then?” Dean asked curious about the lone angel. 

“I don’t know? Many don’t know I’m alive. I’ve been undercover as the trickster for quite some time, a few centuries actually.” Gabriel responded while rolling over a stack of books and files. 

“So you believe that my counterpart in this world is like those others?” Cas asked sadly.

“Jimmy Novak isn’t alive, so if the same thing happened to Cassie, well. I’m hoping it didn’t.” Gabriel said quickly. He then dropped a pile of files and books in front of everyone. “Read these, they’re from the same guy.”

Dean sighed and picked up the top file. It was going to be a long night. At some point Gabriel came by and checked on Jack again. Jack wasn’t glowing as much anymore but he was still completely out. 

At some point Dean fell asleep, he didn’t know when but as he woke up he felt a warm presence. Cas had placed him on a couch. Dean was sleeping in Cas’s lap as Cas was still reading through all the books. Dean blinked a few times and saw that Kevin was also sleeping. Dean pushed himself up and grabbed another file to read. He kept reading until they heard footsteps coming from the hallway.

“Gabe” Claire ran in and hugged Gabriel.

Kevin woke up and ran to Monica carefully hugging her trying not to press against her bandages. Sam and Junior made their way to Cas and Dean. 

Dean reached out to Sam’s shoulder looking concerned. He didn’t even think about asking how bad the injuries were. He had been so focused on Jack he forgot to check in with his brother. 

“Just dislocated it, Monica popped it back in.” Sam said quickly before Dean could ask. “How’s Jack?”

“Still recovering. Why don’t you all go to sleep. We’ll talk in a few hours.” Dean told Sam and Junior. Poor little Junior was stifling a yawn. 

The angels agreed and corralled everyone to their rooms. Cas tried to get Dean to go as well but Dean refused. He wanted to stay with Jack. So Cas gave up and they started to pick up where they left off. Taking notes about spells that would cause angels to disappear or be expelled by force. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we still don't know whats happening with Jack but we are getting closer to figuring out what might have happened to the other angels! 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or any of the characters in the show.

Junior woke up next to his dad. He didn’t want to let him out of his sight. His dad was still sleeping so he quietly moved off the bed and sat in the chair. Normally he would have left to go find Cas or Uncle Dean but right now he wanted some time to calm down. His father was fine. He was injured but he was fine. 

Junior and Claire had called to tell Monica and Sam about their findings. Turned out that was when the monster decided to attack. Junior heard everything through the phone. Junior and Claire didn’t know what to do. They heard shooting and screams. There was no way that they would be able to make it there in time to help so they waited hoping that the two experienced hunters would be able to overpower the monster. 

Junior was so relieved once Gabriel had dropped his dad off with them. Watching Monica fix up his dad he had realized that his dreams, or visions whatever people wanted to call them, were coming true. 

Now looking at his dad Junior was trying to remember what other visions he had. There was one that scared Cas. What was it again? Oh right everyone was stuck and something was happening to uncle Dean. Uncle Dean had called it the empty. His dad had told him about the empty. It seemed scary, and if Cas, an angel, was scared then he definitely was terrified. 

A groan came from the other side of the room. Junior jumped up and ran over to his dad. “Dad hold on let me help you.” Junior reached to help prop his dad up. 

“Meds” his dad groaned again. 

“No dad, Monica specifically told me that you have to eat before taking anything for the pain. Let’s get you dressed and we can go down and get some food.” Junior told his dad sternly. 

His dad sighed and allowed Junior to help him up. Once they were all ready they slowly made their way to the study to join everyone else. Junior helped his dad sit down and then ran off to the kitchen to get some good for everyone. 

Kevin was already in the kitchen putting plates on a tray. “Hey bud, wanna grab some juice and milk for everyone?” 

Junior helped Kevin grab everything and put it all on a rolling cart. Then the two walked back to the study. Kevin told Junior what they all were doing while he was out in the hunt. Junior was confused and about to ask Kevin a question when he saw someone hugging his dad. His eyes widened with recognition, “Mom?”

His mom ran over to him and engulfed him in a hug. She was kissing his head and looking him over. “DJ, buddy are you ok? I’ve been looking for you two for so long.”

Junior frowned and stepped back. Why was mom calling him DJ? That was what everyone here called him. Junior then realized that this wasn’t his mom, this was the other version of himself’s mom. This was getting confusing. Now that he took some more time he noticed that this version of mom had a different hair style, it was shorter. She also had different glasses. Small differences that you had to be paying attention to or you’d never notice. 

“Ellie, it’s not the Sam and Dustin you know.” Kevin said while putting his arm around Junior. “They are from another world. This little one is apparently Dean Junior.” 

Junior frowned and turned to his dad and Uncle Dean when he heard the name Dustin. His dad looked confused and Uncle Dean had a thoughtful look on his face. It seems like Uncle Dean was learning more about this world faster than the rest of them. He made a mental note to ask about that. 

“Not from this world?” His mom, wait no Ellie, said. It would be easier to keep them separate if he thought of this woman as Ellie rather than mom. 

Kevin nodded.

“Dean Junior….” Ellie turned around to face dad and Uncle Dean. “You two get along in your world.” 

“Yeah, we must get along a bit if you know me though right?” Uncle Dean asked Ellie. 

“We met when Monica went missing. Until then I had no idea Sam had a brother. Sorry about that…” Ellie spoke to Uncle Dean and Monica. 

Monica waved her off, “not your fault.” Monica then handed Ellie a plate and had her sit down. “So what do we think? Are Sam and Dustin with Dean, Cas and Jack?”

Junior went to sit down with everyone else and started to eat his food while listening. He didn’t have much to add to the conversation anyways. 

“I talked to Crowley and he told me to come here.” Ellie mentioned. 

“They all have been gone for about the same amount of time.” Claire pondered. 

“We’ll keep a lookout, let you know if anything comes up.” Kevin told her comfortingly. “Would you like to stay?” 

Ellie glanced at Junior and his dad and then shook her head. “I’m sorry …. I can’t. They’re just so…”

“Understood, just message if you find anything.” Monica quickly interrupted.

Kevin walked Ellie out and rejoined the group. 

“You don’t seem surprised that they’re missing.” Junior stated to Monica, Kevin and Claire. 

Claire shrugged, “the whole reason Cas, Dean and Jack left was to find them. DJ did something to Jack’s grace, made it unstable. They were trying to reverse it.” 

“We figured that they may be involved in the disappearance, we just didn’t know who to ask.” Kevin finished while placing a bottle of pills down. “Both of you take 2.” He pointed at dad and Monica. Dad gratefully takes his pills and hands them to Monica. 

“DJ? What does it stand for here?” Junior asked curious how different he was here if his name was changed. 

There was a long pause, Claire Kevin and Monica looked over at Uncle Dean worried. Finally Claire tentatively answered, “Dustin John.” 

“So you had a better relationship with dad!” Uncle Dean joked with dad. “Good, I was wondering how it worked here if you two were at each other’s throats like you were in our world. Those were not fun days.” 

“Shut up Dean,” dad said, rolling his eyes. “You just never had the guts to stand up to him. You idolized the man way too much.” 

“Eh to each his own, clearly you idolize him in this world.” his Uncle responded. 

Junior looked around the table apart from Cas everyone had a puzzled look. Junior heard someone mutter, “it’s so strange to see them act like siblings. I keep expecting an explosion of some sort.”

Dad and Uncle Dean kept bickering about their childhood. Junior however was more interested in Jack. Jack had been sleeping the entire time since he came back. “Is Jack alright?” Junior asked, interrupting Dad and Uncle Dean's conversation. 

“He will be, he’s recovering.” Cas says, sounding a little worried. “Where’s Gabriel he was supposed to be back by now.” 

“Where did Gabe go?” Claire asked Cas just now noticing that the archangel was missing.

“We think we know what happened to the angels. He wanted to go check out the locations of a certain spell to see if there is any remaining evidence.” Cas responded distracted.

“Huh?” Junior was still confused. Kevin told him that they found a similar spell but now Cas said they figured it out. Also what was Gabriel looking for? What locations?

“One problem in this world is that there are no doors to heaven and the angels all seemed to have vanished. Cas, Jack and Gabriel had all found a location or a general area the angels were heading to when they disappeared. We think that may have been the location of the spell.” Uncle Dean explains more thoroughly. “Gabriel went to check that out.”

“What exactly was the spell?” Monica asked. “Like what is the purpose?”

“It seems to be a spell used to remove power sources from heaven. I think it’s normally used as a reset. Like if things were going wrong then they could recite the spell to realign the powers and keep balance among the angels. From what we understand it acts as a vacuum of sorts. All the power goes toward a vessel. Then afterwards the powers can be released and return to its rightful locations and owners.” Kevin explained passing around the notes and copies of the book he was referencing. 

“So it’s a good spell? Not a bad one?” Junior asked, looking at a picture in the book. There was a small box and light shining from it.

“Supposedly.” Kevin responded. 

Gabriel appeared with a soft this. “I think we are right about the spell but wrong about the location. When I went back to the area we searched I noticed my grace being pulled. I couldn’t find the vessel though. We need to find it if we are going to restore and reset heaven and the angels.” 

“Vessel?” 

Everyone turned to face the direction the sound came from.

“Jack!” Uncle Dean and Cas exclaimed and rushed to his side. 

“How are you feeling?” Uncle Dean asked while helping Jack up. 

“Weak” Jack croaked. “My head hurts, I can’t stop it.” 

Cas frowned and started muttering something over Jack. 

“What are you?” 

Junior turned and saw Gabriel standing protectively in front of Claire, Monica and Kevin. 

“Give the kid a break he just got up.” Uncle Dean groaned. Junior agreed, Jack was awake but he still looked pale and sickly. Though he was curious what happened that made Gabriel worried about Jack. Did he find out that Jack was god?

“You are feeling a depletion of power, but an angel should not have that much. What are you?” Gabriel repeated his question ignoring Uncle Dean. 

Jack closes his eyes and brings his hands to his head covering his ears. “Please stop yelling.”

Junior grabs some juice and hands it to Jack once he opens his eyes. Jack's hands were shaking so Uncle Dean had to help him hold the glass and drink. 

“Jack it’s time.” Cas said softly. Junior only heard since he was next to Jack. Jack looked nervously at Cas but Cas kept talking, “they need to know. It will be fine.” 

Junior sat down on the ground preparing himself for the reveal. Jack was finally going to tell everyone that he is god. Dad had told him that Jack didn’t want to tell anyone because some angels were still mad at god. Jack was the new god though, and after meeting Jack anyone would know how hard he was trying to fix everything! Junior hoped everyone liked Jack enough that this wouldn’t be a problem. 

“Why don’t you all sit down and I’ll explain?” Jack asked nervously looking down at the ground. “It’s kinda a long story…”

Everyone sat down, pulling up chairs towards the couch Jack was sitting at. Once everyone was settled Jack began. Junior listened to the story again. Everything that had happened with Chuck, but this time from Jack’s perspective. Jack explained how all the worlds were wiped from existence and how only one had remained. Finally he told them how he absorbed all of Chuck's power and easily restored the one lone world. 

“I’ve been restoring and reviving all the other worlds since, yet somehow this world—your world has given me the most trouble. That’s why we’re here.” Jack finished.

  
Junior turned to see how everyone was reacting to finding out Jack was the new god. None of their faces were readable. They kept a straight face and just stared at Jack. There was a long moment of silence. Finally Gabriel breaks the silence with a deep breath. “You think that —- Hold on. You’re saying Dad's  _ dead  _ and  _ you  _ took on his mantle?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So they finally know Jack's secret... How do you think Gabriel will handle it?


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or the characters in the show.

“You’re saying Dad's  _ dead  _ and  _ you  _ took on his mantle?” Gabriel’s eyes were wide and he was now standing. Jack was getting nervous and slowly cowering into himself. “You are God? How? This doesn’t make any sense. This is a joke right? Haha dad, very funny, you’ve been gone for a couple of millennia and now decide to send the minor league here to pretend that he’s you?” 

“You don’t believe me.” Jack says realizing that Gabriel wasn’t mad at him. Gabriel thought Chuck was playing a practical joke. 

“ _ You don’t believe me.  _ Of course I don’t believe you.” Gabriel mocked Jack. “You’re telling me a nephilim is powerful enough to leave the empty—the place where dead angels go —- and then on top of that, is more powerful than the creator of all things?” Gabriel was pacing now. “You’re like, what, 2 days old? I’m hundreds of thousands of years older than you and I don’t have that kind of power. No one does!”

Jack lifted his arm and closed his eyes. He focused his energy towards Gabriel. Once they connected he sent him all the memories relating to Chuck. Once he opened his eyes he noticed that he was leaning against Dean and Cas was trying to heal him. Jack could feel the grace that Cas was sending. It would barely stay in him, it was immediately being whisked away. Getting worried Jack pushed Cas’s hand away. “Stop” Jack insisted.

Cas frowned and put his hand back up.  _ Cas, stop I need you to save your energy and grace. I’m still losing mine and I don’t want to lose yours too. _ Jack sent a message to Cas. It was easier and took less effort than talking. Also, this way not everyone would be worried. He knew that Dean would find out soon, but at least it would just be those two who knew. Cas seemed startled but the flow of his grace stopped. Relieved that he wouldn’t be loosing Cas’s grace Jack turned back to face the arcangel.

“Believe me now?” Jack asked Gabriel. 

Gabriel nodded and sat down again. 

“So, you’re the new god. Can’t you just use your powers and just fix everything?” Kevin asked. “Why send me visions if you are controlling everything?”

Jack frowned, “I didn’t send the visions. I don’t know how to yet. This is all very new to me. I’m still trying to harness all the power. I’m still trying to revive all the worlds.” Jack sighs as he sees confused looks on everyone around him. It’s hard to explain things when you have all the power and knowledge in the world but you don’t know how to use it. It’s all at his fingertips but one wrong thought then he creates something unexpected. Cas understood since he was there through it all, but the others, it was hard for them to grasp that he wasn’t a master of the art yet.

“What happened kiddo?” Dean asked gently. “You left here in such a hurry and next thing we know you are dead to the world. Were you attacked?” 

Jack looked to his fathers, concern shining through in both their faces. He hated to make them so worried. Dean especially. Jack still doesn’t feel like he deserves the kindness from Dean. Jack had hurt him so much. He had mentioned this to Dean once a while back. One day in heaven when Cas was out and it was just the two of them and Jack was overwhelmed with something, he couldn’t remember now but at the time it was his tipping point. Dean was by his side through it all. Calmed him down and then had a deep conversation about what he meant to him. That’s when Jack really understood that Dean says more with his actions than his words. 

Jack felt Dean rubbing small circles on his back, “Hey kiddo, you still with us?”

“Yeah sorry.” Jack leaned back making himself comfortable. He still wasn’t sure what happened but everyone was waiting for him to start talking. “I heard Sam's prayer and left to help. I don’t know what happened but I got lost? And stuck at the same time. I wasn’t on the planet exactly but I wasn’t in heaven either. It felt like the ether but I just knew it wasn’t.” 

Jack paused as he saw Gabriel get up and go to the table paging through books. It didn’t seem like anyone was about to interrupt him so he continued. “I wasn’t alone there. I felt the presence of others but I couldn’t figure out who. Every time I tried to harness my power it felt like it was escaping to everything around me. It was foggy and I couldn’t think or breathe.” Jack gripped Deans arm tightly remembering the feeling. He closed his eyes and spoke more softly, “I was drowning, I couldn’t breathe, hear or see. I just felt the pain and loneliness. I heard Sam's prayer again and somehow was able to get out. I think someone inside helped me get out.” 

“It’s draining your power?” Gabriel asked, still looking through the pages on the table. 

“It has been since before I came to your world.” 

Gabriel frowned. “None of us can go near it then.” 

“Near what?” Jack asked, confused.

“We think we know what the spell was.” Cas told him as Gabriel brought the book over. Jack skimmed through the book. 

“Who? Why?” Jack asked, trying to understand under what circumstances someone tried to ‘reset heaven’.

“No clue. Still trying to figure that part out. Heaven was running well. Well enough that many angels were down here to help humans.” Gabriel told Jack. 

Jack listened as Gabriel gave him an update on how this world was doing before this spell was done. Jack couldn’t figure out why any angel would do this if things were going as well as it seemed. 

“I feel like I’m giving a report to dad.” Gabriel finished. 

Jack griminced that was not what he wanted. “Don’t. I’m trying not to be like him. I’m trying to be better.” 

“You’re here now right? That’s better in my book.” Gabriel said in a strained voice while trying to still be supportive. 

Jack could tell that Gabriel was still struggling to accept the events that had transpired. It made sense. Jack did technically overpower the archangel's father. If something similar happened to Cas Jack would not be able to accept it right away. 

A phone rang, disturbing the silence. Monica answered, “Hello, yes speaking.” She started moving her hand in a writing motion. Kevin went to grab her notepad. She started jotting things down while giving small affirmations on the phone. “Right, uh huh. Ok…” she put her pen down. “Thanks Jody. We’ll see you soon.” 

“You just got back.” Kevin said to Monica in a disappointed tone. 

“Jody gave my number to a family. It’s another disappearance and she thinks it isn’t a monster. It’s a one off so more likely to be normal.” She sighed when Kevin was still giving her a pointed look. “I’m not leaving until they call me. Jody was giving me a heads up. She thinks it may still take a few days before they decide to go with a PI rather than the local detectives at the station.”

“You're not going alone.” Jack told her. 

Monica looked over at Jack with a questioning look. 

“Whatever happened, whatever this foggy plane is, it’s getting stronger. Chances are if something goes wrong we may not be able to reach you immediately. It’s safer to take someone with you.” Jack explained.

“We’ll talk about it once we get the call.” Monica said. 

“So what now?” Junior asked. 

“Everybody rest. You three especially.” Dean pointed at Sam, Monica and Jack. 

Sam and Monica both rolled their eyes. Jack however was ok with that plan. He was still quite tired and didn’t know what he could do anyways. “Give me the angel tablets.” Jack asked, getting an idea.

Gabriel handed them over and Jack started reading through them. It was difficult, there was a lot that he was not aware of but it was faster than Kevin. “This will take me some time, but I’ll see if there is any relevant information about the spell.” 

The next few days everyone got into a routine. Research, relax, brainstorm, repeat. Jack spent most of his time sleeping or reading through the angel book. The section that Kevin translated which led them to the heaven reset button didn’t have much information so Jack had resorted to reading the whole thing. Cas was working with Gabriel to come up with a plan for the others to go check out locations where powers and grace were being drained. 

“Jack if you barely got out alive we’ve got almost no chance of making it. We need a way for others to detect the changes.” Cas had told him one night. 

Neither angel was very thrilled with the idea of letting humans go out to check places, especially when it would take longer. At the same time though they were scared. From what Gabriel understood the two of them are the only angels on the planet. The rest were probably stuck in the foggy plane. Yep they had decided to label it the ‘foggy plane’ until they had a better answer. 

Jack was waiting for a moment to speak with Gabriel about what he had seen in Dean’s dreams. He’d spoken to Cas about them but they decided that it wasn’t something to share with everyone yet. Gabriel would probably be able to give insight and explain it better to the girls and Kevin. That and it wasn’t exactly happy news to share. 

When Jack and Gabriel finally got a moment alone to talk Gabriel listened to everything calmly. “So our Cassie, Dean and Jack are all together. Stuck somewhere?” Gabriel repeated once Jack had finished. “They were in hell but now they aren’t.” 

“From what I can tell. Yes.” 

“Do you think they’re stuck in the place you got stuck?” 

Jack had been wondering about that for a few days now. He knew he felt the presence of others but was it those three? There wasn’t any way to tell for sure. That being said Jack remembered seeing Cas. At the very end when he made it out he thought he was seeing double. Now looking back he registered the differences between the two. They were wearing different clothes. Jack still wasn’t sure if he had been imagining it or not but he went ahead and responded to Gabriel anyways. 

“I think they are….”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Jack is safe for now. He just needs to recover a bit before they go figure out how to fix this little problem in this other world. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or any of the characters in the show.

Cas was mad. No he wasn’t just mad, he was furious. The phone call came in a week after Monica first mentioned it and Dean jumped to go with her. He tried so hard to get Dean to stay but no, Dean had to go out there. 

“It’s just a missing person! It wasn’t so bad last time!” Dean had said that night to Cas as he started packing. 

“You once told me humans were the worst monsters. Humans are crazy!” Cas tried arguing. 

“They still need help Cas, and I’m not going alone.” 

“No, you're going with a girl who is injured. I feel so much better now!” Cas saw Dean start packing his bag so he snapped his fingers emptying out the contents. 

Dean snapped around, eyes shining with fury. “What’s the matter Cas? Huh? You’ve never had a problem before!” Dean's voice was rising and Cas flinched.

“Look at Jack! He’s still recovering from last time.” Cas turned away from Dean exasperated. 

“Yes, and now you, him and Gabriel are taking precautions not to get stuck in that place. What does that have to do with me?” 

Cas took a deep breath, he was going to have to spell it out wasn’t he. Cas felt his throat closing up and tears threatening to fall. He was still facing away from Dean, trying to hold it together. 

“All of Junior's visions are coming true.” Cas stated softly, trying to keep his voice steady. “Every. Single. One.” He turned around to face Dean again and the moment he looked at his face Cas lost his composure and the tears started to fall. “They think it’s just a danger to us, to angels.” Cas’s voice trembled as he spoke. “You know that’s not true. Dean I can’t even come to you if something goes wrong…. how …. what if this is the moment that you….” 

“Cas…” 

“I can’t even check on you anymore… Dean… I saw you, I heard you calling and I couldn’t help. How am I supposed to…”

“Cas, you said you were there right? You would be there when,  _ IF _ this vision would come true.” Dean responded calmly, slowly stepping closer. “Everyone was there, right?”

Cas nodded. He could see where Dean was going with this but that didn’t help him stop worrying.

“Well not everyone is going now, so chances are it won’t happen. Plus, it seems like we are closer to figuring this out right? If we figure out how to get the angels back we can band together and get this thing!”

Cas looked up at the man he loved. He had so much determination and hope. That’s always what drew Cas to him. Cas fell, he was a fallen angel all because the man in front of him had the ability to give him hope. Hope that they can change things. Make a difference.

“Cas, I know you're worried. But I can’t just sit around here and do nothing man. There are people out there that need help, and I have a chance to help them.” 

“I know. It doesn’t mean I’m going to like it.” 

Dean gives Cas a soft kiss then embraces him. 

“Promise me you’ll be careful. You Winchesters tend to do ridiculous things like sacrificing yourselves for others.” 

Dean pulled back, his eyes sparkling, “Like you don’t do the same thing?” 

“That’s different. I was corrupted by you idiots. Yours is just genetic.” 

Dean laughed and went back to packing his things. Conversation was simple after that. Once Dean finished packing they went to check on Jack. 

The next morning two cars headed out of the bunker. Sam and Claire were checking a lead sent by Ellie, while Junior, Monica and Dean went in the other. That had left Kevin, Gabriel Jack and himself left in the bunker. Jack wanted to check if Kevin had any other visions that he wasn’t aware of, similar to Dean. Cas thought it was a good idea but only allowed it if he would join Jack. Jack refused to wait until he was fully recharged so Gabriel and Cas would join Jack so that they could share the burden. 

Cas went to the library thinking that everyone would be there. Turned out it was just Kevin waiting in the room. “Where are the other two?” Cas asked, sitting down next to Kevin.

Kevin shrugged, “I thought they were with you.”

The two started chatting about the case Monica and Dean had just gone on. About an hour and a half later Jack and Gabriel walked into the room. Gabriel looked a little pale while Jack looked nervous. 

“I really think we need to consider the fact that humans may get stuck in this vortex.” Gabriel said while sitting down. 

Cas already knew this as a possibility but how did Gabriel come to this conclusion? “I agree… but why?” 

“Dean’s dreams. Remember I told you about them.” Jack asked. 

Cas nodded, they assumed it was proof that the missing people were all together. 

“I think they are stuck in the same place I was. I think they helped me get out. More specifically the other version of you.” Jack explained. 

“So Sam and Claire….” Cas asked, suddenly realizing what Gabriel looked so worried about.

“We need to find a way for them to recognize this area without getting too close that they get stuck in it.” Gabriel said in a hardened voice. “Cas you research with Kevin. Jack and I can handle the dream hopping.” 

Cas looked over at Jack nervously. Jack seemed to be alright with this plan. Cas however was still weary. It wasn’t that long ago that Gabriel was terrified of Jack and threatening the group. Sure he had quickly shifted and helped, but Cas wasn’t sure if Gabriel was genuine in his actions or if he was just being the trickster and waiting for everyone to let their guards down. 

Cas wasn’t entirely comfortable with the idea but he also knew what they needed to look for in the research. He would just need to watch Jack and monitor the situation. He could always jump in if things seemed to be going wrong. 

“Sure,” Cas responded while grabbing a laptop. He decided to start searching the web. Maybe this wasn’t all related to heaven and the angels. Maybe there were multiple things happening at once. 

“Cas, am I supposed to do anything specific?” Kevin asked, staring at Gabriel and Jack. The two looked like statues now, in their meditative state. 

“No, you shouldn’t notice anything different. Feel free to do whatever you want. Dean didn’t feel a thing.”

“Ok I’ll keep looking for a way to release the power from the object, the way to complete the spell.”

“Sounds good.” 

Cas gave Kevin a small smile and went back to googling. Cas had started with searching about the ether and similar planes. This wasn’t getting him anywhere though. There were many sites that spoke about the different spiritual planes but Habriel and himself were able to teleport fine. From what they could tell these all seemed intact. 

Cas groaned as he rubbed his eyes. He was getting frustrated. He glanced at Jack and Gabriel, the two were still motionless. That was a good thing he supposed. It meant they were still dream hopping and nothing was happening to their vessels. He turned to Kevin who was cracking his knuckles.

“Any ideas on how to search for the foggy plane? I’m only getting theories about the planes we already know about.” Cas asked hoping the prophet had better researching strategies.

“Foggy, smoky, blurry, misty, hazy….” Kevin rambled off immediately. “Try those?” 

Cas got started on the new terms hoping they would give him some lore to work off of. He was searching for a while when he came across something interesting. 

_ The smoking mirror.  _

Cas clicked on it and it led him to a new page about a god of smoking mirrors, well not quite he was known as the smoking mirror but had many names. This site seemed to call him  _ Tezcatlipoca _ . 

Tezcatlipoca was an enemy of all sides, had the knowledge of ancient times and was a warrior. This Aztec god had many stories associated with him. Cas went on digging deeper trying to understand if this  _ Tezcatlipoca _ had anything to do with what was happening. 

In the past many of these other gods would get frustrated with the changes Chuck would make and would take it out on the humans. Could Tezcatlipoca be doing the same thing? Cas started to search for more information on Tezcatlipoca, trying to see if there is any lore that matches the current situation. Cas stopped and looked up as he heard some coughing. 

“Jack?” Cas asked, moving over to the kid. He was coughing a bit but nothing seemed out of place. Everything about him seemed fine. 

“I’m fine, just tired.” Jack said, waving Cas off. Gabriel sent a small healing spell in Jack’s direction and patted at a chair next to him for Kevin to come join. “There wasn’t too much more information. That being said, the Castiel, Jack and Winchesters of this world are together.”

“Cassie, Jack  _ and Dean _ are with the Winchesters.” Gabriel corrected.

Cas and Jack frowned, “That's what he said.” Cas responded as he tilted his head.

“Dean changed his name years ago, he hasn’t legally been a Winchester even before I met him.” Kevin explained quickly. “So all five of them are together. Where though?”

Gabriel and Jack gave each other a worried look. Finally Gabriel decided to speak, “No one tells Monica or Claire, got it? They … We aren’t hiding it but we need to be careful with how we word it. You know they will run into things unprepared when it comes to those three.”

Cas and Kevin nod understanding Gabriels fear. 

“They are in that ‘foggy plane’ that Jack got stuck in. Jack and I were talking about it before, but it seems like humans may be able to get pulled in as well. We still are confused how that could be the case but Jack saw our Castiel. Apparently Cassie helped him jump out. Which also doesn’t make too much sense.”

“Why not?” Cas asked. He was able to help Jack plenty right now, why wouldn’t the Castiel of this world be able to do the same?

“He has very limited powers, he barely has enough to heal or help others. When you fall from heaven in this world you give up half of your grace. It's the sacrifice you make or its the punishment you endure. Cas and I sacrificed ours, which is why we aren’t as strong as you.” Gabriel spoke directly to Cas.

“You are stronger than me…” Cas said thinking back to everything that he had seen Gabriel do since they’ve arrived on this world. He seemed to be just as powerful as the Gabriel he knew, his brother. 

Gabriel shrugged slightly, “I’m an archangel, rules are slightly different I guess. Also more people pray to me. I am the trickster; so many people play pranks and jokes nowadays it powers me up. I can use this bank of power but I need time to recharge.”

Cas was still trying to understand the rules of this world but it seems that Jack had gotten a better picture. “Heaven had much more structure in this world. They found a way to unite and run it efficiently.” Jack said admiration in his voice.

“In a way yes. The problem was when dad left they only focused on heaven. Everything that happened down here didn’t matter. That's why I came out of hiding. Angels stopped protecting the humans they were supposed to. I adopted Kevin as my charge when he showed up as a prophet but I always was meant to watch over Monica, just as Cassie was meant to watch over Dean. There are many other guardian angels that were supposed to be down here but they just stopped coming. They lost faith and stopped seeing the beauty in life.” Gabriel explained. 

“What about all the missing angels?” Kevin asked. “You said not many angels are down here but you also told us that the ones who were here are all gone.”

“Are you asking where are they? Or why were they down here?” Gabriel questions back.

“Both.”

“They started to regain hope as they saw what Cassie and I were doing. Through that a small faction of angels decided to start testing the waters again and sent down a few guardian angels. Mostly the newer younger ones who would feel that they had greater purpose.” Gabriel explained as quickly as possible. “In terms of where they are now….”

“I think the theory of someone trying to reset heaven is correct. It is the way that explains the disappearance of the angels and heaven. I also think the device holding all the angels and heaven is in the foggy plane, which is why my power drained while I was stuck there. That being said I don’t think the spell to reset heaven caused the foggy plane. That is something else. There is nothing in the reset spell that affects human souls. The fact that the Castiel, Dean, Jack, Sam and DJ of this world are stuck there proves that there is a second force in this equation.” Jack explained. 

“Have any of you heard of the smoking mirror?” Cas asked thinking this was the best moment to bring up his research. 

“It sounds vaguely familiar,” Gabriel said while Jack and Kevin both shook their heads. 

“Another name is Tezcatlipoca” Cas stated hoping that would jog more memories. 

“The aztec god?” Jack exclaimed.

“Yes, you recognize the name.” Cas asked, surprised.

“I personally don’t, but the darkness does. It is similar to her. She is telling me that he is a warrior known for destruction. He is not easy to appease and it took many forms of compensation and multiple deals to get him to sleep the last time he had awoken.” Jack said with his eyes closed. “She says that this is a good theory to look into.”

“The darkness?” Both Gabriel and Kevin ask once Jack opens his eyes.

“Amara, God’s sister, remember her? The two were the light and dark that created the world. I now hold both and the light and darkness are in balance.” Jack explained.

“Well, I guess it’s time to look for more information about Tezcatlipoca and see why he woke up and what we can do to stop him from destroying this world.” Kevin said while moving over to his laptop. 

Cas sighed while helping Jack move to the table so he could also research. It was going to be a long trip if they were trying to stop a powerful being from destroying the world. How did he always get roped into the big leagues? Honestly he should have known, what else could you expect when there are Winchesters involved? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we are finally getting somewhere with the mystery... well at least a part of each mystery. There are multiple problems at play. Seems about right, things are never simple for team free will are they? 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or the characters in the show.

It has been an awkward car ride to say the least. Sam was on his way to check out a lead that Ellie sent about the whereabouts of his counterpart of this world. As if that wasn’t weird enough he was in the car with Claire. The girl hasn’t really spoken to him unless it was about a case. Sam felt very uncomfortable. It was clear from the beginning that Claire didn’t like him, or at least this world's version of him. It pained him every time she was short with him though. Back at home he and Claire had grown closer. The two would go on hunts together and she would often watch over his son if Eileen and him wanted to go out of town. Being here with a Claire that was scared of him, well it was breaking his heart and he wasn’t sure if he could even call a truce. He was glad that his son had found a middle ground with her but he was also jealous. He wished that he could relate to her the same way. 

“Thank you.” Claire said about three hours into their silent drive. 

“I’m not sure why you're thanking me…” Sam responded hesitantly. 

“For watching out for Moni. Junior told me his vision. The one he had of you both camping. Thank you.” She explained and said with more sincerity than he had ever heard from her.

“We all would have done that for any of you.”

“We know the others would but we don’t talk to Samuel and DJ here. They… well they have a bad rep.” Claire says glancing at Sam. 

“What happened?”

“I don’t know the whole story. I’m not sure if Moni even does. She’s known Dean the longest you know? And by the time she met him Sam and Dean were already out of each other’s lives.”

Sam thinks about all the times in his life when he wanted to walk away and stop hunting. It seemed like no matter what happened he would have found his way back to Dean. That may have been Chuck's fault but this world was obviously different. 

“Dean was disowned by your family. He doesn’t talk about it much but something happened. He still tries to stay in touch with his brother but things never seem to go well. One of us always gets hurt and Dean … well Dean has a hard time forgiving himself when we get hurt. He blames himself and it takes us weeks to get him back to normal. I know you guys haven’t had an easy life, but you had family throughout. That isn’t the case here. We made this family and we fight to remind ourselves that this family is worth more than the dismantled ones we came from.”

“How did the Sam from this world hurt you?” Sam asks, scared to hear the answer. 

“He put me in jail a few times, left us alone mid hunt, almost killed Kevin,” Sam flinches at the reminder of when he realized he killed Kevin, “tricked Moni into accepting a demon deal. That led her to hell immediately. The most recent one was he stole some of Jack's grace in order to save his son. What he didn’t know was that nephilim grace shouldn’t be split. I don’t know what nephilims are like for you but here if their grace is split then all parts of the grace become unstable. That’s why Cas, Dean and Jack left. They were trying to get Jack's grace back and see if Jack could just heal DJ and call it quits. “

Sam stayed silent. Hearing all of this really put things into perspective. Of course they all would be apprehensive of him. He looked like the guy who was making their lives miserable. Also Dean was disowned? And he just lost touch with his brother. This world was vastly different and Sam honestly didn’t like it. 

“I’m not him.” Sam decided to say. It was the only thing he could say. He wanted to apologize for everything that this Sam did but he didn’t know him and all he could do was emphasize that he was different and would never do those things. 

“I know, it’s hard to remember.”

The car ride was silent again, but there was less tension in the air. There was an understanding between the two hunters and Sam supposed that’s all he asked for. 

“You’ve done well with your kid.” Claire starts another conversation.

Sam turns to look at Claire. The girl was driving but she gave a quick smile in Sam’s direction. 

“Thanks, but I didn’t do too much.” 

“From the way he talks about you? Nah, that kid idolizes you. You really scared him last week you know? He saw this happen in his dream and suddenly heard you running and yelling. I think he wants to protect you the way you protect others.” 

Sam's chest tightens again thinking about his son and how he felt when little Dean would get hurt. It makes sense that the kid would worry about him. “I don’t want him in this life. I want him to have a normal one. It took me too long to find a happy family.” 

“There are ways to make it work you know. It sounds like you know people who did. He also considers you and your wife to have found the happy medium.”

“But I don’t think we did. We are a hunting family. I want him to have a normal job, a normal salary. If he wants to pick up a hunt or two that are nearby then fine. You know? Kinda like Jody and Donna.” 

“You two need to talk. You both want the same things. He just wants to learn from you. He feels like you don’t trust that he’ll be able to help you. That’s why I’ve been teaching him stuff.” Claire paused for a moment, “he’s a smart kid, he wants to be prepared. He won’t walk in blind if he knows how to adequately research beforehand.”

“I’m trying, maybe once we’re back home we’ll have a more open conversation.” Sam responded. “You up for some music?” Sam awkwardly tries to end the conversation.

“Sure, go ahead.” 

The two listened to the local radio station for the rest of the ride. Once they got into the small town that Ellie sent they decided to drive around and get a feel of the place before checking into a motel. 

“Ooh we're going to the bed and breakfast instead of the motel!” Claire exclaimed as she saw a small bed and breakfast on the corner of the street. 

“Why? Motels let us be less noticed.”

“Bed and breakfasts are cuter and give us more access to townspeople. Plus it’s not really a hunt we’re after anyways so we don’t need to worry about anyone walking into the room. Also I’m paying, so it’s my choice.”

Sam rolled his eyes. “Whatever you want I guess.” 

The two grabbed some food and went to check in. There was only one room left so they took it and called it a night. 

The next morning they went down and started talking to people. They decided to ask if anyone had seen Sam’s twin brother. People mentioned seeing him a while ago but they couldn’t remember when. This wasn’t super helpful. They knew that the Sam from this world had been here but for all they know it was well before he disappeared. Sighing they both went out to walk around the town and see if they could find the people that Sam had come out to help. They assumed that the only reason Sam would have showed up in this town would be for a hunt of some sort so there had to be some family that had been interviewed by his counterpart.

While Claire and Sam were walking around the town Sam noticed something. He walked away from Claire to get a better look. He knew what that was, he had the exact same thing hidden under a sheet in his garage. That was baby! 

“Claire! Dean’s car, it's over there!” He called out and pointed towards the car. 

Claire frowned looking over in the direction Sam was pointing. “That’s not Dean's car…. but it is the Winchester's car, let's go check it out.” 

Sam jerked his head frowning now. “Dean doesn’t drive the impala?”

“No… Samuel does. Dean was disowned, remember? Why would his dad give him a car?” 

Sam's head was spinning trying to make sense of the situation. So much was different in this world yet they all knew so many of the same people? This definitely seemed like some twisted plan Chuck had when he was controlling everyone’s lives. What made it worse was that now that Chuck was gone it sounded like the brothers in this world were still unable to reconcile. 

Claire quickly broke into the car and the two went to sit inside while searching around. There wasn’t much in there that told them why Samuel was here. There were two bags, each carrying Samuel and DJ's clothes. The trunk had all the hunting gear so that wasn’t helpful. They took one last look in the car and didn’t find anything. 

“Maybe we should see if they stayed in any nearby motel? Maybe they had their stuff in a room before they disappeared?” Sam said remembering back to the time he and his brother were searching for their dad. 

“I guess, but why would they leave the car? You don’t think they are trying to remain hidden do you? God, I hope they didn’t kidnap Cas, Dean and Jack. Those idiots should have waited for us. Dad and Dean are way too old for this. Moni and I could have found Jack.”

“We’ll find them. This is the best clue we’ve got right? We finally have a location to start from!” Sam tried to console the younger girl. 

Claire sighed, “I suppose.” She hopped into the passenger seat while Sam buckled in; they now had to go check every motel/hotel in the area to see if Samuel and DJ had left any clues. 

They found a motel but the owner said that there were no belongings left behind. Also that it had been over a month since they had checked in and out. Dejected, the two made their way back to the bed and breakfast. 

“Any word from Moni, Junior and Dean?” Claire asked Sam once he got out of the shower.

“No, you think somethings wrong?”

“Nah, we give each other a week before we start worrying.” 

“Ok. So what now?”

“I’m beat, honestly I think I’m just going to call it for tonight. I’ll talk to Ellie tomorrow and see if she knows anything else.”

Sam pulled out his phone to check on Junior, the little empty battery sign popped up. Sam groaned and dug through his bag for the charger. Pulling it out he plugged in his phone. He guessed he had to wait until tomorrow to check on the others. Since there wasn’t much else to do he carefully laid down making sure not to jostle his injured arm and shoulder. He fell asleep even before Claire came back into the room. 

Sam woke up the next morning noticing a phone in the room was ringing. He answered wondering what the owners were going to try to loop them into.

“Hello” he said softly to not wake up the girl sleeping on the other bed. 

“Hi, we have a call for you. Can we patch them through?”

“Sure?” Sam isn’t sure who is trying to call them through the bed and breakfast. 

“Claire, I got your message but I can’t reach your phone.” Sam closes his eyes as he hears Eileen’s voice through the phone. 

“Claire’s still asleep, but do you have any more information?” Sam tries to say normally. It was weird to talk to Eileen on the phone knowing that this wasn’t his wife. He missed her.

“Oh, sorry…. Um yeah, apparently we have some property in the area. Problem is I can’t find where it is. I checked with the banks and it's under Sam’s name and locked to him alone. Sorry I don’t have much. I didn’t know he bought another place.”

Sam saw Claire getting up and moving her eyebrows in a questioning manner. Sam mouthed that Eileen was on the phone and Claire immediately put her hand out asking for him to hand over the phone. 

“Hold on Claire wants to talk” Sam tells Eileen quickly while handing it over. Sam then moves over to this laptop to check for any recently sold property in the area. What type of property would a hunter buy? Normally he would think of a house to make a safehouse but clearly the Sam of this world and himself were very different people. 

“Uh huh, ok. Thanks Ellie. It’s all good. We’ll let you know.” Claire finishes up the phone call and hangs up the phone. “So our phones aren’t receiving anything? We can only make outgoing calls or messages?”

“That's definitely something weird and suspicious.” Sam responded while taking a look at his phone. “Any ideas what they bought?” 

“No, Ellie and Sam were having problems. She’s disappointed to find out that he was hiding things from her again.” 

Sam flinches inwardly as he hears this information. Eileen was the best thing that had happened to him. She was the one person who really helped him after Dean had died. Everyone had helped but she was the one who he could truly open up to. Somehow in this world that wasn’t the case. He felt bad for Eileen in this world. She deserved better. He kept looking through old listings and found an interesting looking warehouse. 

“Hey! So get this. There is an abandoned warehouse that was sold recently. It was sold to private buyers and they haven’t done anything with it. No renovations, no demolition, nothing. It's still the exact same.” 

Claire walked over to see what Sam was looking at. “I guess that's as good a place as any. No one would walk into a place like that if it’s falling apart. It would be a good place to hide things mid hunt.” Claire goes out of the room and walks back in new clothes. “Well let's go gigantor!”

Sam grabs his jacket and phone and follows Claire out the door. Claire takes the wheel this time and they head off to the warehouse. Sam tries giving Junior a call but the call doesn’t go through. “Can you make any phone calls? I could give texts yesterday but nothing is going through.”

“Here try mine, call Kev or Moni” Claire placed the phone in front of her face to unlock it and tossed it over to Sam. Sam goes through the contacts and tries to call both of them. Neither call goes through either. He tried texting and the messages kept bouncing back saying  _ message unable to send, message not sent _ .

“Nope. What is going on?”

“What? You think this is a mystery spot or something?” Claire frowned as she continued to drive.

“We just left the town though, we are in the outskirts. Last time I was in a mystery spot there were more signs.” Sam said thinking back to prior hunts. This seemed like a normal town. 

“Mystery spots are all different. I haven’t encountered any myself though so I guess you are the expert here.”

“We can’t contact anyone. This isn’t good.”

“Well, the phone back at the bed and breakfast seemed to work. We can call the bunker and Moni from there once we are back. Let them know that something is in the air here.”

“I guess”

Claire took a turn and they saw the abandoned building. They park as close as they could to the locked gates and get out to look for any entrance. Just when Claire was about to get wire cutters Sam was able to pick the lock and they walked through. Something was definitely wrong with the place. Sam felt a weird chill the moment he walked in the building. The room was filled with sigils and it had a large demon trap drawn right in the entrance. Sam looked around, these sigils looked familiar. This place was set up to be safe from almost everything. These were all meant to keep you safe from angels, demons, and many other supernatural beings.

“Sam, my phone isn’t working at all.”

Sam turns to Claire and checks his phone. His phone was also acting up, all snowy and wouldn’t turn on or off. Not only was the room blocking other powers it seemed to be blocking normal satellite signals as well. Why though?

“I’ve got a bad feeling…” Claire said as she reached out to touch the walls. She kicked a few things around and gasped. “This is Jack’s jacket.”

Sam rushed over to see what Claire was holding. It was a simple checkered jacket but it was covered in dried blood. It had been here for a while. Claire’s eyes hardened as her grip on the jacket tightened. “They brought him here. Made sure he couldn’t call for help? He was already weak because of him! I’m going to kill him.”

“Ok… let's calm down. Maybe it isn’t his blood. Maybe they fought something here.” Sam tried to calm Claire down.

Suddenly there was a wisp of fog that started to surround them. Sam quickly held onto Claire wanting to make sure they didn’t get separated. “This is the place that your Jack got stuck? It’s so far from the woods we went camping.” Claire said holding onto Sam’s jacket as the fog grew thicker.

Sam was about to respond when he suddenly felt like he was choking. He turned to Claire and she was also gasping for air. The two no longer could see anything around them as the fog surrounded them. Sam suddenly had the fear that he would die in this world. He wouldn’t be able to return to his Eileen, he wouldn’t get to say goodbye to his son. Sam was about to give in and close his eyes when he saw Dean. He reached out to him but couldn’t grab his hand. The loss of air was affecting him too much. His eyes finally close as he feels strong arms pulling him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are Sam and Claire stuck? Did they get pulled in or pulled out? What do you all think? 
> 
> Also I have been trying to keep this other world's backstory pretty vague, is anyone interested in what happened there? 
> 
> Anyways, as always I hope you liked the chapter!


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or the characters in the show.

Dean felt bad leaving Cas but he had to do something. Ever since this entire thing with this world started Dean had felt useless. It wasn’t until they got here and Monica invited him to join her on her cases and he finally felt like he’s making a difference. In all honesty though, Dean had sort of forgotten about the vision. Not all of it but the fact that he may face some danger himself. He got so preoccupied with the current situation and the nightmares of hell, that the visions from before just went somewhere in the back of his mind. 

Clearly that wasn’t the case for his angel. Cas had been working diligently day and night trying to equate the visions with the current situation with heaven and the angels. On top of that Jack was still recovering. Was he not doing enough? Maybe he should have stayed back to help Cas and Jack. Now thinking this all through Dean feels guilty and selfish for leaving the bunker and coming out for this case. 

“Uncle Dean?” 

Dean snapped his attention back to the road. “Yeah?”

“You didn’t hear the question did you?” his nephew asks. 

“Dean maybe I should drive?” Monica said looking over slightly worried. 

“No no, you're still recovering. Just relax, I can drive.” Dean responded quickly. “What was the question?”

“What was your life like?” Monica asked. “There are obvious differences but I … I’m just curious what life is like in a world where Dean and Sam are brothers.”

Dean looks back at Junior through the rear view mirror. The kid looked giddy. “Dad told a few stories but he mostly gets sad so I haven’t heard many either!” Junior says in a pleading tone. 

“I don’t think your dad would like it if I tell you all the bad things… it’s better if he’s there for those.” Dean saw Junior's face fall at that. Darn kid was too cute to say no to. “But I guess I can tell you a few stories about us on the road.” 

Dean spent the rest of the ride telling the two younger passengers about his life. He told them the creative meals he’d have to make for Sam when they were younger, the things about the impala that made it feel more like home than any place, various prank wars that they had. Dean tried his best to keep any end of the world hunting stories out. He and Sam had talked about Chuck but he knew Sam was still hesitant about telling his kid everything. That’s fair though who wants to tell their kid that they had been possessed by Lucifer or that they had been soulless for a year. After all Junior was still a kid and Dean knew what it was like trying to protect others from the real dangers. He’d done everything he could to keep Sam unaware for as long as he could. 

They pulled up to Jody’s house and were welcomed by Alex. “Monica get in here so I can do a quick checkup.” Alex immediately said as the crew got out of the car. 

“I’m fine, is Jody home?” 

“Not yet but you're all staying for dinner! Jody wanted to give you more info tonight before you meet the clients. Since you're here, let me check you over. I heard you were injured pretty badly on your last hunt.”

“Gabe?”

“Kevin. He loves you, you know.” 

“I know. We haven’t told Dee yet. Kev’s scared.” 

“Dean is a pretty terrifying person. No offense.” Alex laughed and turned to Dean. “You two must be Dean and Junior, the ones from the other world.” 

Dean and Junior nodded.

“Yeah — this is too much for me. Other worlds on top of monsters? This is why I keep to a normal job and life.” 

“You're fine, plus a badass nurse like you? The world needs more people like you!” Monica says while walking in. 

The group chats for a while as Alex rebandages Monica. Afterwards they all move to the kitchen to whip up a meal. By the time Jody comes home the table is all set looking like a thanksgiving feast.

“Hey! Sorry, I got stuck at the office. This looks amazing!” Jody exclaimed as she walked into the house. She immediately hugged Monica and went to hug Dean. Dean instinctively hugged her back and then realized that this Jody didn’t know him. 

“Oh sorry you look just like him I forgot. I’m Sheriff Jody Mills.” Jody pulled back and put her hand out. 

“I’m Dean and this is my nephew we call him Junior.” Dean shook Jody’s hand while introducing himself and Junior.

“You both are the same in our world too.” Junior mentions softly and Jody shook his hand. 

“So you know us? I wasn’t sure since Monica told me that you didn’t know her.” 

“Yeah dad and Uncle Dean worked with you a few times! Plus Claire and Alex are like my older sisters!” Junior explained excitement radiating from the kid. Dean relaxed seeing that the kid was able to quickly acclimate to the others. 

Junior seemed to be a shy kid when he first met him but he later realized that there was more going on. After talking to Cas and Sam he learned that Junior was struggling quite a bit with figuring out how he wanted to balance his life with hunting. Much to Sammys disappointment the kid wanted to learn more about hunting. 

“Well we definitely need to hear those stories! But first, Jody why don’t you freshen up and change. Then we can eat and chat.” Alex said while patting Junior’s shoulder. 

Jody agreed and went upstairs. Within five minutes she was back down in a flannel and a tank top instead of the sheriffs uniform. They all went over to the table and ate dinner. Conversation was fun as everyone shared stories about their memories of each other. Dean always loved coming to Jodys, she was like a surrogate mother to him and Sam. The one who would be able to actually berate them and take care of them. It seemed like the Jody here was no different and that was comforting to both Dean and Junior. 

Once they finished up dinner Alex left to go help out with the evening shift in the clinic. Apparently a coworker had called in sick and they needed extra hands. After saying goodbye to Alex they all gathered in the living room to hear more about the case that they were called in for. 

“So the family is having some problems. I think the parents were planning on getting divorced but that’s when the mom went missing. No signs of struggle or anything. No one’s heard from her and no one has any ideas of suspects.” Jody explained as she showed the case file. 

“So she went out to get groceries and they just never came home?” Monica asked while looking closely at the reports. 

Dean and junior were looking through the picture and evidence reports, both of which had relatively little information. 

“Interesting, so the theory is she just ran away before the divorce was finalized?” Dean asked. “Why? That wouldn’t do anything.” 

“Yeah we don’t have a good reason other than the fact that she may have been trying to delay the settlement meeting.” 

“Hmm ok we’ll check things out. Sounds to me that you're right. This may not be done within the week and I may just pass it on to some others.” Monica said as she handed the file back. 

“Yeah whatever you say. I think they just need to hear it from another source. Are you all staying here tonight?” 

“No we don’t want to intrude! I booked a hotel room for a week. We'll head out. It’s close to the Hapstones house so it will make it easier tomorrow morning.” 

Dean and junior get up to follow Monica out. “Thanks again for everything Jody,” Dean says as he walks out. 

“No problem! Take care of that girl. You may not know her but our Dean considers her to be his family.” 

“Honestly she feels like family to me now that I’m getting to know her.” 

Jody gives a nod of approval and hands some tupperware. “There’s way too much food leftover, take it, please.” 

Dean grabs the bag and jumps into the car. They quickly make it to the hotel and check in. 

“I only got one room. I can sleep on the couch.” Moni said while handing Dean the second key. 

“Um I can sleep on the couch. You're hurt.” Junior says as they walk in. 

“Yeah one of us will take the couch, you are taking a bed.” Dean said firmly. 

“Seriously even when you’re from another universe you won’t let me take the couch?” 

Dean rolled his eyes, “junior you ok with sharing? If it doesn’t work then we can switch off on the couch.” 

“Yeah that’s fine.”

With that they all collapsed onto the beds and awaited the next day. The next morning they all went over to meet the Hapstones. The family didn’t have much more information that seemed to help. Junior had gone to speak with the kids to see if they had any insight, while Dean went around to talk to the neighbors. No one really had any information. From what they could tell the divorce wasn’t ideal but both parties agreed that they needed to do this. Even the kids knew what was going to happen. There really didn’t seem to be any reason as to why the lady would have run away. 

The rest of the day felt pointless. All three of them had gone around town and interviewed others but no new information was found. 

“This is why I hate taking cases so late after the disappearance. It’s been so long since she was first reported missing! Even if she did run away her trail is most definitely gone at this point.” Monica sighed while trying to track the credit cards. She slams her hands on the table. “Nothing! No one saw anything, no suspicious credit card uses. No signs that she was planning to make a run for it!” 

“Let’s wait until tomorrow, her side of the family is showing up right? Maybe they know more?” Dean tried to calm Monica down. 

“I guess. You two should take a day to go explore, relax. There isn’t much to go off of for this case and like Jody said it seems pretty normal. I’ll call if I need any backup.” Monica said as she crawled under the covers.

“Are you sure? We could stay close by.” Dean said looking between Junior and Monica. The whole reason they were here was to make sure Monica would be alright, but he knew Junior was getting bored and with so little clues he also wasn’t able to provide much assistance. 

“I’ll be fine, honestly I’m just gathering information to hand the case over to someone else. We’ve got our own missing people to look for.” 

Dean looked to Junior who was staring at his phone. “You alright kiddo?” 

Junior jumped a little and quickly put his phone away. “Yeah, it would be fun to hang out!” 

Dean gave his nephew a pointed look waiting for the actual answer to what was bothering him. 

Junior griminced and rubbed the back of his neck. “Dad hasn’t texted or called. I was worried.” 

Dean checked his phone, that was true. Sammy was pretty diligent about checking in especially since he had started the whole hunter homebase thing from the bunker. 

“We have a system here where we give each other a week before panicking. When we know where people are headed they get a week to contact you back. If we don’t hear in a few days we’ll head over ourselves.” Monica stated casually. 

Dean wasn’t so sure if a week was a good timeframe but Monica knew this world and typical dangers. If she wasn’t worried then he assumed that he shouldn’t be worried either. 

When Junior and Dean woke up the next morning Monica was already gone. There was coffee and donuts in the table with a note telling them to enjoy themselves. With nothing else to do Dean and Junior went out to enjoy their day together. The two walked around, grabbed some burgers and ended up in an arcade trying to beat each other’s high scores.

“So this is what it would have been like?” Junior mentioned as they walked around town. 

“What?” Dean asked, confused.

“If you hadn’t died, if I had my uncle… You would have taught me about hunting when dad didn’t. We would hang out and have memories like this.”

Dean's throat started to close as his chest tightened. He really loved spending time with Junior. His nephew, god he never thought he or Sammy would live to have their own family. Well, technically he didn’t. He turned to Junior, “We may have had memories, but I wouldn’t have done anything your dad didn’t want. I don’t think we would have gone on hunts together or anything. Honestly I think I would have quit hunting all together. My heart wasn’t in it anymore and your dad had your mom anyways.” 

Junior listened silently. After a moment he responded. “I’m not going to remember this am I? I won’t remember you?” 

Dean didn’t know how to comfort the young kid. From what he understood Jack would have to remove these memories from Sam and Junior. “Maybe, but I’ll remember and when you have lived your life and join me we’ll reminisce about these times.” That was the best he could do. Suddenly he got a phone call. He looked at the number but didn’t recognize it. 

“Hello?”

“Hey! You're with Monica right?” Ahh so it was Jody. Dean made a mental note to save this number in his phone. Though, he thought he already had it. Maybe this was a work number or something. 

“No, she said she’d handle the last few interviews herself. Why?” Dean responded. Did Jody have another case? 

Dean heard Jody curse on the other end of the line. “She’s not here for this case. She transferred it over to other colleagues last night.”

“What? If she’s not working the case what is she doing? Where is she?”

“I was hoping you knew.” Jody sighed. “Dean I have a bad feeling about this. Something is messing with our technology over here. We’re keeping radios for communication. I suggest you grab some yourselves.” 

“Thanks for the tip Jody. I’ll let you know once we find Monica.” Dean was still confused, where did she go? What was so urgent that she went off alone and lied about it? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have rewritten this chapter and the next chapter so many times now but I think I finally have the general idea that I wanted. That being said, I apologize if it seems incoherent or if there are lots of errors. If things don't make sense please let me know!
> 
> As always I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or the characters in the show.

Uncle Dean was frozen. He wasn’t doing anything at all. Junior could hear everything on the phone call and it was clear that Monica was missing. Well, she was unreachable and no one knew where she was. While Uncle Dean finished his phone call Junior tried calling Monica and tracking her phone. 

Uncle Dean looked worried as he hung up the phone and started messaging Monica. “Any ideas where she would have gone?” he asked.

Junior shook his head, “I’m tracking her phone though.” Junior started thinking about the trip up, She seemed fine with working with the two of them yesterday, what changed? Monica was on her phone a lot. Maybe there was a second investigation of sorts. Something not-hunt-like so she went to take it on? “Now that I think about it she was on her phone a lot, do you think she got another case that she wanted to look into?”

“There’s no reason to hide that from us.” Uncle Dean grumbled. “Wherever she is and whatever she’s doing she purposefully wanted to be alone. I swear if she’s doing something stupid like a solo hunt while she’s hurt I’m going to kill her. 

It finally clicked for Junior. This exact situation is what dad was afraid of. The idea that he would go off on a hunt alone and no one would know where he is. Right now he could see how uncle Dean was freaking out trying to logically plan out the best way of finding Monica. Problem is as a hunter she would be good at covering her tracks. It’s part of the job. 

Junior heard a slight ding and saw that the program he was running had sent them a location. “Uncle Dean look!” he showed Dean his phone. 

“Huh, when did you become a tech wizard?” Uncle Dean asked as he started looking at the area pinpointing the location of Monica’s phone. 

Junior runs his hand through his hair sheepishly, “Charlie taught me some stuff, but this is something that Claire gave me before we left. She said it comes in handy sometimes.” 

“Well, remind me to thank her once we get back. Alright, this isn’t too far away, let's go check it out.” 

Junior looked around and noticed that there were many police officers stationed out around them. It probably wasn’t a good idea to steal a car right now. “Any chance you can map out a way for us to walk there?”

Uncle Dean looked up and saw all the people, “Yeah hold on” he mumbled as he went back to the phone. After a few moments he pulled up the GPS and started following the directions. The place wasn’t that secluded or anything, it was however difficult to get to. They were going through various alleyways and taking turns in creepy corners. Junior was just glad that they weren’t trying to navigate this place at night. When they finally got to the place they saw an empty construction site. 

“This is where her phone is, or was…” Uncle Dean muttered as he snuck around the back to get in. Junior followed quietly while glancing around at his surroundings to make sure they weren’t being watched or followed. Hopefully this wasn’t a hunt because if it was they were definitely not prepared. 

It took them two sweeps of the place before they found the phone. Junior called his uncle over once he found it in the corner near the rubble. “She isn’t here, she left her phone here though. Do you think she was taken?”

Before he could respond a young girl seemed to appear out of nowhere. Uncle Dean tried talking to her but the girl wouldn’t respond. She kept pointing across the street. Junior looked at the girl carefully and noticed that she had a hearing aid. The small device seemed broken, no wonder the girl wasn’t responding. 

He quickly switched to sign language, asking the girl if she was alright and if she needed help. The girl's eyes brightened and she immediately signed back. Junior frowned causing Uncle Dean to question what was happening.

Junior went closer to the girl to grab the note that she had. Taking a quick glance he saw that it was addressed to Dean so he handed it over to his uncle. 

Uncle Dean grumbled as he read the paper. “Did the girl see where Monica went?”

Junior asked about Monica, trying his best to describe her in as much detail as he could. The girl responded by pointing across the street again. This time she was tugging on Junior’s shirt trying to pull him over. 

It seemed like Uncle Dean understood the gist of it and was already headed in that direction before Junior could say anything. Junior picked up the young girl and followed his Uncle over to the older building in the back. Once they walked in it looked empty and there were no signs that anyone was there. 

“I’m going to kill her” Junior heard Uncle Dean mutter to himself. Uncle Dean had a scary look on his face. He looked like he was ready to murder anything that came in his way so Junior didn’t bother to ask where he was going, he just silently followed. His uncle was a seasoned hunter, you don’t mess with them. He’d seen the look on dad's face before too. Nothing would stop them when they got this angry. Part of Junior wanted to call Jack or Cas but he knew that was pointless. The angels couldn’t come here fast enough. They were trying to avoid using their powers and if they tried to show up they could possibly get stuck and lose their powers. “She’s such an idiot, we already tried asking them and she wants to call them again?”

What was that? Junior thought back to who they had called, he couldn’t figure out what was going on. The girl he was carrying tugged on his shirt again asking him to put her down. Once he did the girl signed to him telling him to follow her. Junior gave a quick shout to Uncle Dean who was on the other side of the room and proceeded to follow the young girl.

She led them down to a basement. It was a pretty large room which had multiple doors. Junior jumped when he heard a loud bang come from one of the rooms. He quickly went to grab the girl while uncle dean pulled out his gun and stood in front of them. 

Uncle Dean signalled that he would kick down the door. Junior held the girl close by to him as his uncle counted down and slammed the door down. Once they went in the banging stopped, it became silent. Looking around they saw a broken devils trap in a corner and shattered glass everywhere. Boxes were thrown all over the place. It looked like a fight had gone on, but there was no blood. That's a good sign right?

“Who’s here?” Uncle Dean called out, still ready to shoot anything that moved. 

“Dean?” a timid voice came from a corner with a large wardrobe and multiple boxes. 

“Monica!” Junior gasped as he recognized the voice. He put the girl down and rushed over to the corner to start moving the furniture away. 

“Yeah, I… I got trapped…”

“Hold on, I’m moving this stuff out of the way.” Junior grunted as he started to move the boxes so he could get to the large wardrobe.

“Are you hurt?” Dean asked in a strained voice.

Monica stays silent for a moment before responding, “No, just got trapped.”

Uncle Dean came over to help him as they pushed everything aside so Monica could get out. Monica looked sad and tired while Dean’s piercing eyes were sweeping their surroundings. Junior could tell that Uncle Dean wanted to talk to Monica alone so he told them that he would take the girl back to her parents. Uncle Dean handed him a walkie-talkie. Junior raised his eyebrows questioning why he was being handed these when he had his phone. 

“Jody mentioned some weird stuff happening with phone signals here. Just keep this on you in case.” 

Junior nodded and turned to the girl to ask where her parents were. They didn’t seem to be too far away so they started walking. Once the girl was reunited with her parents Junior messaged his uncle asking where to meet them. Within seconds he got a response that he was already driving over to pick him up. The car ride was tense, whatever Uncle Dean and Monica talked about didn’t seem to be resolved but neither of them were willing to hash it out now. Junior sighed and looked out the window as they drove back to the hotel room. 

  
  


Uncle Dean didn’t relax until they made it back into the room. As soon as the door closed he exploded and started yelling at Monica. Monica didn’t look scared at all though. It actually looked like she was used to this. On the other hand, Junior was terrified. He’s seen Dad mad before but Uncle Dean was much scarier, and that said a lot since Junior knew his dad’s rep. 

“Ok I’m sorry. Now am I allowed to go get food?” Monica said calmly while Uncle Dean was taking a moment to catch his breath 

“No!” Uncle Dean glared back. 

“Fine, I’m taking the leftovers then. Also just so you know, I’m a professional, I’m an adult and you aren’t my father so you don’t get to yell at me.” Monica said sternly. 

That caused uncle Dean to shut his mouth. He stayed silent for a few minutes and then went to the bathroom mumbling something about taking a shower. Junior didn’t know what to say so he went back to playing around on his phone. Dad and Claire still haven’t responded to his messages. He knew that Monica said they normally wait a week but he couldn’t help worrying. 

  
  
  


Monica had gotten her food and was quietly eating in her own corner. She had her laptop out and was writing up her own report. Both Junior and Monica were working in silence when they heard a sudden bang. Monica immediately had her gun in her hand and Junior jumped up, eyes darting around the room in high alert. It took them a moment to recognize that the sound came from the bathroom. 

“Dean?” Monica called out loudly.

Juniors' hands started shaking as they didn’t hear any response. The water was no longer running but neither Monica or Junior could remember when it had stopped. 

“Uncle Dean are you alright?” Junior tried calling out again, this time knocking on the door. Still there was no response. “Uncle Dean I’m coming in!” 

Junior started opening the door and noticed that it was hitting something, not opening the whole way. Looking down he saw his uncle on the floor. “Uncle Dean!” He cried out and squeezed himself through the open space. He was on the floor shaking Uncle Dean, trying to wake him up. Monica came in right behind him and the two of them lifted him up and carried him over to the bed. 

“He’s not bleeding, hopefully he didn’t hit his head too hard.” Monica mentions while placing pillows under Uncle Dean’s head. “I’ll call Alex so she can check him over.” 

Junior sits with Uncle Dean while Monica makes a few phone calls. First she called Alex who said she’d come over as soon as her shift was done. Afterwards she called a few other colleagues who were close by. Apparently they had to discuss a few cases that were happening close by, Monica apologized to him saying it was a part of the job to consult and verify her people to authorities. A few hours later there was a knock on the door. 

“Hey Mon it’s just me.” 

Monica immediately opened the door and a very tired looking Alex walked in. 

“Hey Junior! How are you doing?” She asked while starting to examine Dean.

“I’m fine, how’s Uncle Dean?” 

“Hmm, well he seems fine. Should regain consciousness soon. If he doesn’t then come over to—” Alex stopped as she heard Uncle Dean groan. “Hey there you alright?” 

“Sam…” 

“He isn’t here right now, what’s your name.” Alex started asking as she flashed a light at Uncle Dean’s eyes.

“Dean” Uncle Dean groaned.

“Do you know where you are?”

“Not heaven... other world. Don’t have…. concussion.” Dean says in a strained voice while propping himself up.

“You may have a minor one..” Alex said clearly upset that Dean was already trying to get up and move around and stopping her from checking him over. 

“Sorry Hon, don't have time for a full checkup.” Dean says to Alex. “We need to go now. Sam and Claire. They are in trouble.” 

Junior immediately starts to call his dad, it wouldn’t even go through. Frowning he tried to call Claire and the same thing happened. “I can’t reach either of them.” 

Monica had her lips pursed as she tried to hold back a frown. “What did you see?” 

“They were struggling to breathe and I was trying to pull them out of the thick fog. I got them but they kept choking on something.” 

“It’s not a vision?”

“Jack says mine seem to be happening at the time I get them. They aren’t visions of the future, it's like I see it actually happening?” Dean shook his head. “It’s confusing when I explain it but trust me we need to get to them now!” 

“Ok ok, we’ll go. I’ll call Ellie and see if she’s heard from them. They shouldn’t be too far away; we can get there by tomorrow.” 

“Fine then I’m driving.” Junior finally spoke up to everyone.

“What?” Both Monica and Uncle Dean turned to him.

“You're still hurt, and Alex said you might have a concussion. I’m driving. And if you don’t let me I’ll tell everyone and you’ll have to deal with all of them yelling at you.” Junior said as confidently as he could. He wasn’t sure if this threat would work but it was the best one he could come up with on the spot. 

“Just as annoying as Sam” he heard Uncle Dean mumble as he let go of the car keys. 

Junior’s chest filled with pride realzing that he actually won this mini battle. Hiding the small smile that was starting to creep up he turned to Alex who was also smiling. “Need a ride?” he asked. 

“No, I'm good. Take care!” 

The three of them quickly packed their things and checked out. Junior drove as long as he could stay awake, both Monica and Dean would take cat naps throughout the drive. A couple hours later while Monica was sleeping Uncle Dean told Junior to pull over. They switched so that Junior could catch a quick nap while Dean drove the rest of the way. 

They arrived in town the next day and immediately went to the bed and breakfast Ellie told them about. A quick search told them that the hunters weren’t kidnapped from their room. Junior was able to log in to his dad’s laptop and found a listing for an abandoned warehouse. The three quickly drove over and saw the car parked outside. As they went in and looked around they didn’t see anyone. Monica saw a jacket and picked it up. 

“It’s Jack's,” she said softly trying to hold back tears. 

“We must be close! We’ll find them!” Junior tried to comfort his friend. Uncle Dean was searching on the other side when Junior felt something different. He turned to Monica who clearly felt the same thing. They heard a soft thud as Kevin landed in front of them. 

“Kev?” Monica called out while hugging him. 

“We’re not safe! They are all stuck—” Kevin barely got the words out as he started getting entrapped by fog and smoke. Monica was still holding onto him and disappeared as well. 

Junior started to panic, the fog was thickening. “Uncle Dean” he coughed but couldn’t hear any response. “Uncle—” he was having a coughing fit and couldn’t talk anymore. He couldn’t see anything other than fog but he felt someone pulling him. He closed his eyes and prayed it wasn’t a monster. 

“Deano! Breathe, I’m right here.” Junior heard his daddy voice. He opened his eyes and focused on his dad's eyes as he tried to control his breathing and stop panicking. 

“Where are we?” Junior asked once he finally caught his breath. 

“The place I got stuck before.” Jack said as he kneeled next to him. 

Junior finally looks around and notices the number of people here. Kevin, Claire, Monica, Gabriel and Cas were in one corner, his dad and Jack were next to him. Uncle Dean, Cas and Jack were a few steps away. Wait Cas and Jack were in two places? It took Junior a moment to make the connection that these were The ones from this world! He turned around and saw the other version of his dad and himself. 

“So we’re all stuck?” Junior asked, getting nervous again.

“Not all of us…” Jack said, still looking nervous. 

Junior looked around the room, if there were two of Cas and Jack there should be… Junior gasped, “Uncle Dean!”

His dad, Jack and Cas (the ones from his world) all flinched as he said that. 

“I don’t know why but he’s the only one who didn’t get pulled here.” Jack's voice was cracking as he said it. There was a loud howling noise and the fog started to thicken. “Everyone brace yourselves it’s starting again!” Jack yells and everyone rushes to huddle together. Junior isn’t sure what’s happening but he closed his eyes and covers his ears as the howling grows louder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we are finally getting close to that vision Junior had way back when he was in heaven. What do you all think? 
> 
> As always, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	34. Chapter 34

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or the characters in the show.

Jack had this unsettling feeling. He couldn’t exactly explain it, but he just knew something was about to happen. The problem was he had no idea what that was. Over the past few days he had been regaining strength and no longer needed the angels to keep healing him up. He actually was spending more time talking to the darkness and learning how to use her powers to help him recuperate. It was strange to think that Jack trusted the powers of the darkness more than the light. Maybe that’s because from his understanding Amara wanted peace, craved the balance whereas Chuck just wanted the power. 

Kevin had gone out to get food. They had run out of supplies in the bunker and now that he, Cas and Gabriel were on lockdown they weren’t allowed to get any for him. Jack offered to conjure something up but Kevin refused wanting to stretch his legs. Cas and Gabriel were still reading through all the files they could find about the Aztec gods. Jack needed a break so he decided to speak to the darkness instead, she did seem to have a lot of the information he wanted. Also, she had faced this before. Now that he’s done some research she was remembering more about the last time this happened. 

_ Normally you would be powerful enough to stop this.  _

_ Normally? _

_ My brother never let me join him so he wasn’t as strong. We were separate entities when we approached Tezcatlipoca.  _

_ But even with you right now I may not be able to? _

_ That’s not what I meant. _

_ Then what? _

_ We need a different approach. With the reset not completed your powers, literally your nephilim powers, will keep being drained. You are scared to use the light’s power source and just using mine wouldn’t work either.  _

Jack sighed as he knew this. He’s been too scared that he would misuse Chuck's powers from the light so he had been avoiding it as much as he could. He only needed a small portion since he also had his original powers and the darkness with him. 

_ No offense but I don’t want to turn into your brother. _

_ Fair enough. You need to learn though. But not now. Later when you have time.  _

_ What happened last time? The lore says he destroys but also creates? There are many versions of him and we can’t figure out which one to focus on.  _

_ You don’t have the memories? _

_ I’m struggling to find them. But I also never did understand why Chuck created other ‘gods’ if he considered himself to be god. _

_ My brother was an enigma. He wasn’t always like that you know. When we first started he was amazed with life and wanted free will. Part of that meant the life he created could believe whatever they wanted. The humans split up, believed in different forces and a few angels made those realities. _

_ Angels? How I thought they only followed Chuck’s orders. _

_ The angels here now were designed that way. In the beginning my brother also gave them free will. Once he saw that new powerful beings were created and his life forms were idolizing them he got jealous and tried to stop them. It was too late.  _

_ These new idols were powerful, they got their owners from the people who believed in them.  _ Jack was understanding what happened. As the darkness explained things to him it felt like he was living through it, or maybe that was the light within him reliving it. 

_ You’re remembering. _

_ Everyone gathered and made a truce. All the gods were powerful and wanted this truce to last. Each one was amazed by humanity and wanted them to believe. The newer ones banded together to stop the older gods from war. Chuck was mad and destroyed the first angels. He carefully watched as a new religion was formed and entered himself into that version, creating his archangels.  _

_ That’s right. _

_ That’s why he didn’t care about scriptures or anything. Those were all created by the humans. He really was just a creator who wanted a way to see his creations.  _ Jack thought some more about the times that the light and darkness were in contact with Tezcatlipoca but he couldn’t think of any others. 

_ So last time you had the support of other religious idols to stop Tezcatlipoca? _

_ Yes we negotiated to put him to sleep. He’d only awaken when the world was created again.  _

_ Which is what I did. Why did this not happen everywhere? _

_ I don’t know. Maybe he’s more powerful here. Maybe it had to do with the reset. Perhaps he was awakened to destroy this world and didn’t realize that the world was recreated… we need to ask him.  _

_ So it’s complicated. Why’s it always complicated? _

_ It’s part of the beauty  _

_ I suppose.  _

_ Go, the others are worried. _

_ Thank you!  _

Jack shook his head as he returned to the room. 

“Jack is everything alright? You weren’t responding for a while.” Gabriel asked. 

“I’m fine,” Jack replied, waiting to hear what Cas and Gabriel wanted to say. 

“Jack?” 

“I was just talking to the darkness. She was telling me what she remembered. Really nothing that will help us at the moment. Last time they had many more forces to help prevent Tezcatlipoca but this time he already seems to have started his war so we need a different plan.”

Before Cas could respond they heard a door close. 

“Hey what’s with the phone thing? You think it’s an actual cyberterrorism attack? The news is saying it’s spreading randomly. No ideas which cities and towns it hits.” Kevin said as he brought in a few bags. 

“What?” Cas asked. 

“Check any news channel, it’s all they are talking about.” Kevin replied, dropping the bags and quickly opening a news source on the laptop closest to him. 

Jack pulled the laptop closer to him as he scanned through the news article. Phones across the world were suddenly not working? So people couldn’t send messages or call others? People thought it was a large scale cyber attack but Jack had a feeling it was Tezcatlipoca. His war had expanded and was messing with the satellites.

He looked over to Cas and Gabriel, “Can you guys contact the others?”

Both shook their heads as they tried calling the two groups that left a few days ago. 

“I haven’t heard anything but I assumed they were fine since it hasn’t been a week yet.” Kevin took a bite of a sandwich he had just bought while taking out his phone. “Hey Jody… oh you are? Sorry. I’ll call later.” 

Everyone looked at Kevin waiting for his report. “She’s in the middle of a case so she couldn’t talk, she said she’d be free later.”

“Ok well we clearly need to get a plan ready, things are getting worse exponentially and I’m not sure what to do. In the past visions Junior had Cas saw multiple powers. Any idea what else is fighting with Tezcatlipoca?” Jack asked turning back to Gabriel and Cas.

“Well Quetzalcoatl is a well known rival, I think it’s fair to assume he would be fighting Tezcatlipoca.” Cas mentioned. 

“Quetzalcoatl will explain the wind or howling that Junior saw. I was a bit preoccupied to notice myself.” Jack made a mental note. 

Gabriel opened his mouth to say something when Kevin gave out a sharp cry of pain. Gabriel rushed over to Kevin to help stabilize the boy. Jack and Cas stayed back waiting for the vision to pass. 

Once Kevin was back with the group he gasped. His hands were shaking and sweat was dripping down the back of his neck. “We need to go. It already got Sam and Claire and it’s about to take the others. I saw it snatch Monica and Junior was right behind her.” 

“They were in different places though weren’t they?” Gabriel asked while handing Kevin a Powerade. 

“No it looks like the same place that Sam and Claire had gone. I had two visions. We need to go now! One of you get the location from my head and let’s go. Fly me over there.” 

“What if we—” Gabriel looked nervous.

“They are all stuck and they don’t know anything! We have all the information and theories! They are walking in blind. They are being shoved into the middle of a gods war zone blind! We  _ NEED  _ to go!” Kevin yelled at Gabriel. 

Gabriel glanced over at Cas and Jack. It was clear to everyone what had to be done but it didn’t make them any less worried. Gabriel placed a hand on Kevin while reaching out to hold Cas’s hand. Cas held onto Jack so they all could see the location that Kevin saw. Within moments they landed.

Well almost all of them landed. Jack recognized that he was back in the foggy plane. Cas and Gabriel were with him. Kevin however was not. 

He didn’t feel like he was choking this time. Interesting. That wasn’t expected. He felt someone hugging him from behind he turned around and saw Sam. 

“Sam how long…” Jack asked 

“We don’t know we can’t really tell time here.” Sam responded softly. 

Jack looked around now and saw more people. The missing people of this world were all here. This world's Dean, Castiel and Jack were talking to Claire. In a separate space this world's Sam was with DJ. This was going to get confusing very fast wasn’t it? 

There was something strange about his counterpart, he couldn’t quite place it but something was wrong. The other Jack was staring back at him, probably thinking the same thing. The weirdest part about it was that DJ had a similar glow. It wasn’t them but something within them? Their souls were shining in a way that a human or nephilim soul shouldn’t. Not necessarily a bad way but it also wasn’t good. Jack didn’t have time to think about it for too long since they saw an opening in the fog where Kevin, Monica and Junior were all coming in. Sam and Dean rushed to help bring them all over to safety. 

The other Sam, ok he was going to be called Samuel from now on, was still standing aside with DJ. Samuel was glaring at Sam and Junior. Jack really hoped that all the hunters could put aside their petty differences for now. They had much larger problems and he really didn’t want to bother with being a counselor while trying to stop this large war. 

This world's Dean started to walk towards Jack. “You are god?” He asked 

“Yes.”

“Can you stop this? Get us out?” 

Jack sighed, “I’m not sure what’s going on or how to get out.” 

This Dean frowned slightly. “We don’t have much time. Once you hear the wind howling then you know that the smoke and fog will pick up again. The war will start again. They keep taking breaks. Problem is they won’t talk to us.” 

“They?” Gabriel asked, going over to Dean. 

“All these gods. I can’t even tell you how many there are. None of them will listen to us. Apparently we are too lowly for them. They seemed to respect Jack, but I guess they were confusing him to be you.” Dean responded looking towards Jack. 

Jack looked at his counterpart, “something about him that I can see. They can probably sense he’s not entirely human.” 

Before anyone could respond they heard Sam speaking to Junior. Jack walked over to help Sam explain what was going on. 

“So all of us are stuck here?” Junior asked. 

“Not all of us…” Jack trailed off still trying to figure out why their Dean wasn’t up here with them. That’s what was bothering him. Not all of them were stuck here. Why? 

“Uncle Dean!” Junior called out as soon as he recognized the one person who was missing. Jack flinched at hearing that. Dean must have been with Monica and Junior yet he didn’t get pulled into this plane. Jack couldn’t figure out the reasoning behind that. He also didn’t like the idea that one person on the ground would try to get all of them out.

“I don’t know why but he’s the only one who didn’t get pulled here.” Jack's voice was cracking as he said it. Suddenly Jack heard the howling and felt the fog starting to thicken. “Everyone brace yourselves it’s starting again!” Jack yells and everyone rushes to huddle together. They all move to the small area that Junior was still sitting in. It seemed like the people who have been in this foggy plane knew that there were certain ‘safe zones’. Jack could feel them now. Certain pockets of this plane were safe from the ongoing war between all the powers. If you weren’t in these pockets while the powers were fighting then you would get pulled into the fight, which felt like you were drowning on land. 

Seeing that everyone had made it to the safe zone, Jack turned to Castiel, the angel of this world. “Castiel, you got me out before. How?” 

“I thought you were him,” Castiel said pointing to the other Jack. “His grace has been going crazy since it’s been split so I do what I can to calm it down. Once yours calmed down you jumped out.” 

Jack took a moment to check in with his powers. He felt his power and the light but where was the darkness?  _ I’m right here. Nothing is pulling me out yet. _ Jack sighed with relief and started to look for Dean, his father, not the one up here. He could sense that he was close by but still couldn’t fly over to him. Why? “My powers are all calm right now but I still can’t leave.” Jack said, finally opening his eyes. Jack felt Cas’s hand on his shoulder. 

“None of us can. This is getting stronger and I’m losing my grace.” Cas said in a strained voice.

The howling stopped and the smoke dwindled down. This time Jack heard something call out to him he started looking around trying to find the source of the voice. 

“Jack?” Sam called out.

“Didn’t you hear that?” Jack asked, trying hush Sam.

“The wind died down, we don’t hear anything new.” Sam responded back.

“Join us” a soft voice seemed to hiss. Jack heard it clear as day though. Did no one else hear it?

“Wait. I think I heard it!” 

Jack turned to Gabriel excited that he wasn’t the only one who heard the voice. “Where? Where is it coming from?” 

“I don’t know I’m hoping if we channel our energy we can get to it.” Gabriel said. 

Jack ignored the strange looks from everyone else as he closed his eyes and focused on the voice. It took a few tries but he finally felt himself flying. When he opened his eyes he was still in the foggy plane but a different level of sorts. He was higher up. He could feel the rest of the group below him but he couldn’t see them right now. 

“What took you so long?” a woman asked. Jack looked at her and immediately knew who she was. 

“Gaia, I apologize something prevented me from arriving earlier.” Jack said before he even knew that he was speaking. He panicked slightly but he heard the darkness trying to speak to him.

_ Let us guide you. The light and I know these powers. Allow us to take the lead for a bit. _

Jack was calmer knowing that it was partially the darkness that was taking over but he still feared using too much of Chuck's old powers. It was irrational, he knew that but he still was cautious. 

Looking around Jack noticed and there were many powers and religious idols present. He recognized Brahma and Shiva, Kagutsuchi, Nuwa, Huitzilopochtli just to name a few. It seemed like all the legends of creation and destruction were present. 

_ Like I mentioned before, it took all of us to talk Tezcatlipoca down last time. It seems that we missed the discussion and joined in the middle of war. Now we need to learn what the war is about.  _

_ Why is everyone silent?  _

_ They are waiting  _

Before Jack could ask who they were waiting for he saw Gabriel appear in the middle of the circle. 

“Welcome Loki, normally you would not be invited but we currently have limited numbers. We hope you’ll join us.” Gaia said calmly. 

Gabriel gave a sharp nod and moved to stand next to Jack. Once Gabriel took his place the conversation began. First they went over battle plans and strategies. Reviewed the past battles and number of victims. It sounded like a normal war except almost everyone here wouldn’t actually die. 

_ That’s why war is bad. It will continue for millennia disregarding the catastrophic events it forces onto the humans.  _

_ So how can I stop it? _

_ Ask why their numbers are low, also ask what Tezcatlipocas demands were. Perhaps a negotiation can be reached now that we’ve arrived.  _

“If I may interject…” everyone paused and turned to Jack. Jack kept a calm and collected look on his face as he continued, “why are our numbers low? Additionally, what were the demands being made?” 

This time Nuwa answered rather than Gaia, “your angels seem to have disappeared. We called them when we couldn’t reach you. They’ve never arrived. Tezcatlipoca wants to rule overall, apparently this is his time to reign since the world was reborn. Yet none of us restarted the world. We are still confused as to how he woke up.” 

_ So this is my fault? _

_ Kind of, let’s think of a plan on how to say that without angering every god here. _

“So that would be my good old pops. He may have caused the destruction of the universe recently.” 

Jack felt the darkness’s anger as Gabriel spoke. To be fair he also felt a strong urge to repeatedly hit his head against a wall right now, so much for figuring out a safe way to keep allies. 

“As you may have noticed I am different than the creator you’ve met in the past. The prior creator had gotten overwhelmed with greed and power and had to be stopped. I now hold and balance the powers of light and dark in the universe.” Jack started to explain as the darkness guided him. 

“We had noticed a shift in balance since you’ve arrived.” One of the other gods mentioned softly. Jack didn’t see which one of them spoke. 

“The prior creator did indeed destroy this world. I’ve been trying to undo his harm and revive it. I fear this may have been my fault, which is why I’ve been trying to arrive here the moment I recreated this world.” Jack finished and got ready to fly away if all the gods turned on him. While he may have technically created them all, he still didn’t know how to overpower them. 

_ Well, past negotiations state that the light and dark can not fight the gods on worlds. It’s not exactly a fair fight. _

_ What do we do then? _

_ We try to help resolve conflicts. Remind them of the beauty of the humans who created them. _

_ And that stops this war? _

_ No, we'll need more manpower to get Tezcatlipoca to stop and listen to us.  _

“If you recreated this world why did it not start over? From the beginning.” Jack heard Nuwa ask.

“My plan was to bring back life right before the destruction of all worlds. Some worlds were well destroyed of all life so those started over from the beginning. The rest were to be revived the day before, as if none of the destruction ever happened.” Jack explained. 

“Since we’ve had to restart this world before it worked differently, and you didn’t know that.” Gaia said with an understanding look in her eyes. “You still can’t fight, but do you have any idea on how to stop this? If Tezcatlipoca wins, his black magic and smoke mirrors will destroy all humanity. His rage after being put to sleep is too strong for us to handle at a weakened state.” 

“We believe we may know what happened to the angels. Give us some time to bring them here. Then with the additional manpower we can get Tezcatlipoca to sit down. I still have a few powers that are neither dark or light, perhaps I can use those to help once the angels have arrived.” 

Everything went silent for a moment and Jack was afraid he made a wrong step. 

“We shall allow you some time, but you must work quickly. The humans are already seeing effects of the war. I fear the world may soon end again if we don’t get this under control.” Gaia said. “Will you require his help?” She asked, tilting her head towards Loki. 

“Yes, thank you for trusting me. We shall return soon, hopefully with better news.” Jack bid everyone farewell and grabbed Gabriel’s arm. He whisked them away before Gabriel could say anything else to the group. 

They landed in the middle of their group and everyone immediately started to ask questions. 

“Stop!” Jack put his arm up and a few sparks came out. Nothing happened but it had the desired effect, everyone became silent. “We have much to do and there isn’t a lot of time.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case it wasn't that clear: 
> 
> the italics are Jack's thoughts while communicating with the darkness, the underlined portions are the darkness's thoughts. These conversations are happening within Jack, so no one else around them can hear it. 
> 
> As always I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	35. Chapter 35

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or any of the characters in the show.

Cas felt like he couldn’t breathe and it wasn’t even Tezcatlipocas fault. As soon as Jack disappeared panic started to take over his body. It suddenly hit him that not only had he lost contact with Dean, he now lost Jack. His grace was quickly diminishing and there was nothing he could do. He looked around to talk to Gabriel but he was gone too. What was going on? The only thing that could keep him calm right now was the fact that the empty wasn’t here. If the empty showed up then things were going to take a bad turn. Well it wasn’t like they were in a good place right now. 

“Cas?” 

Cas turned to see who called him. When doing so he noticed the alternative version of himself had turned too. 

“Well this is going to be confusing isn’t it?” He heard Claire mumble. After clearing her throat she spoke louder. “Ok dad, you're going by Cassie, and Castiel from another world, you keep Cas. For now.” 

Cas nodded, accepting the offer. It seemed like Cassie was used to that nickname anyways. He had heard Gabriel call him that a few times. 

“Now that's cleared up, Sam what were you going to ask?”

Oh it was Sam who called him. Turning to Sam he saw that Junior was trying his best to remain calm. Poor Junior, he had seen this place in his dreams and now he was living through it. Cas walked over to sit down next to Junior. “May I?” Cas asked Junior and Sam. 

Junior looked up to his father and Sam nodded. Cas touched the child’s forehead and sent some grace to help calm him down. 

“See that’s all it would have taken. You could have asked and Jack and Gabriel would have tried to help!” Cas heard Dean say sadly. Cas turned and saw Samuel had a pained expression while DJ looked lost and overwhelmed. 

“Is anyone hurt? I am losing my grace fast but I can try healing people before I lose it all.” Cas told the group. He had to keep busy or else his mind would start to panic again. 

When no one spoke up Kevin sighed and stepped towards Samuel and DJ, “Are you alright?”

The young boy still looked terrified so Cas went over to him planning to calm him in a similar manner as he did with junior. 

“Wait! What’s the deal?” Samuel asked before Cas could put his hand out. 

“Nothing, it’s our job to help.” Both Cas and Cassie said at the same time. 

“Sam, they are angels that wanted to help us. That’s why they fell. They aren’t like the others.” Dean explained.

Samuel still seemed to distrust Cas but allowed him to help his son. Cas quickly finished up and moved back to Sam and Junior. Within moments he felt his grace diminish and became human again. 

Cas saw Jack and Gabriel appear and immediately everyone started asking questions. Cas was also asking where they had gone and what had happened when Jack put his hand up and yelled at everyone to stop. There were white sparks that shot out which silenced everyone. 

“We have much to do and there isn’t a lot of time.” Jack told the small crowd. 

Jack quickly told everyone what seemed to be happening, how it was partially his fault since he didn’t know about Tezcatlipoca. Cas was taking it all on trying to understand what they could do. 

“Does anyone know who started the heaven reset? We need to complete it so that the angels can come help.” 

The other Jack cleared his throat and everyone turned. He stayed silent though. Instead of talking he kept staring at Samuel waiting for an explanation.

“Why are you staring at me?” Samuel asked. 

“Tell him, he’s the creator.” 

“No he’s not. I met the creator of the universe. He went by a different name. Charles? Charlie?”

“Chuck? You met Chuck?” Cas asked now curious as to why Chuck had shown up here. 

“Yeah Chuck came by, said the way to reduce threats was to reset the balance. We had to say the spell and hold out the vase. Once we did that DJs spasms stopped. Chuck said that If we release the case contents then his spasms would start again but this time they would be worse.” Samuel said looking around frantically.

“Is the vase here?” Cas asked calmly. He knew that Jack needed it to complete the spell right now. Completing the spell would restore heaven and all the angels, it would also restore all of their powers as well. 

“We’re not telling you anything. He’s the monster here!” Samuel exclaimed. “My son is better now and you want to reverse it?”

“Oh for heaven's sake, sorry Cas, but really? After we explained everything; who Chuck was, and how Jack replaced him, you still don’t trust us? Cas just calmed down your son!” Sam was now yelling at his alternate self. “Help us and we’ll help you.” 

“It’s not here.” DJ finally spoke up. 

“Dustin!”

“Dad stop, this is ridiculous. They are helping even after everything.”

“They .. we don’t know…”

“Cas helped me calm down, and that Jack's explanation makes sense.”

DJ walked over to Cas and whispered, “he still kind of scares me but I trust you. The vase is in the warehouse. That’s where we activated the spell. We hid it when they showed up.” Cas glanced over at Dean and his alternative self. So those two were also in the warehouse when this all happened. 

“What about the visions of hell?” Cas asked generally to the group. It was time for them to figure out what happened to these people who had been missing. 

“I was sent to hell. Once we arrived we were trying to negotiate to get Jack back safely. We didn’t know about this vase. Either way it seems like Jack and DJ’s grace went out of whack and the two accidentally sent me to hell.” Dean explained. Both this world’s Jack and DJ had apologetic looks on their faces as Dean was talking. 

“This makes more sense now. I couldn’t sense where Dean was for a while and both boys were struggling to retain the grace. It took some time for Jack and I to figure out where Dean was sent and how to get him out.” Cassie continued 

This world’s Jack now spoke up as he seemed to connect the pieces together. “Once we got him out of hell the gods seemed interested in us. I don’t think they’ve encountered many people who’ve been to hell and back. So we got dragged up here.” 

“They probably sensed your grace, and well, as the war grows anyone in the general vicinity is getting pulled in.” Cas saw his Jack sit down as he finished piecing together the timeline of events. “How can we get the vase? We need to finish the spell…” Jack muttered to himself. 

Everyone went silent. They all were relatively powerless in this situation. Cas watched as Jack went very still. He’d been doing that more recently, Cas was worried at first but it never seemed to bring any harm. Whatever was happening to Jack during that time would often bring more clarity to the situation. 

Jack opened his eyes and turned to Cas. “I can hear you worrying and wondering. I’m fine I was talking to the darkness to see if she had any ideas.” 

“Did she?” Cas asked nervously. 

“Dean.” Jack stated. 

“Me?” Dean asked, confused as to how he could help. 

“No, the other one. He isn’t here. We think it may have to do with the fact he’s technically a soul and not an actual human. He’s supposed to be in heaven and I guess the structure of this world recognizes that.” Jack started to explain. “Since he’s still down there we need him to complete the spell and release the angels.” 

“How can we tell him?” Sam asked. 

It finally hit Cas, the plan Jack had was to use the visions to get messages to Dean. “His visions. How can you control them?” 

Jack turned to Monica, “how did you know to come here?” 

“Dean saw Sam and Claire getting pulled into this foggy area.” 

“Dean’s visions of hell were also from your perspective. He’s seeing whatever the Dean from this world sees.” 

“But you said that some visions were in his subconscious. How can you ensure that these messages actually get through?” 

“I was helping him both those times.” The other Jack said timidly. “Maybe my grace is what caused the connection.”

Cas looked towards his Jack and had a silent conversation. It was worth a shot. 

“Let’s try that. I’ll also help. Hopefully I can get a two way connection so Dean can communicate with us.” Jack told the other Jack. 

“Wait wait wait. I’m going to be a human walkie-talkie?” Dean asked. 

“I… I’m sorry…” Jack said, looking like a deer in headlights. 

“We’ll think of something else,” Cas said looking at the other Dean and Cassie. Sometimes he and Jack got so wrapped up in an idea that they forgot others were still humans. They need to be more considerate since their bodies were not just vessels. Their souls would go through this as well. 

“No no, you said you're running out of time. Let’s try it. If something is going wrong Cassie will stop you.” Dean then turned to his Castiel and whispered so none of the others would hear, “if we are close just let it continue. Ok?” The other Castiel nodded with a grim expression. 

Both Castiels and Jacks went to the center of the safe spot. Dean gave Monica, Claire, and Kevin a quick hug. “I’m trusting you to take care of her if anything happens.” Dean told Kevin. 

“Ugh you knew?” Monica groaned while Kevin’s eyes turned wide and he nodded frantically. 

“I had a feeling but you just confirmed it. Which means once this is over you and I are going to have a talk!” Dean responded and told Kevin in a stern protective voice. 

Monica rolled her eyes and gave Dean a small push. “Yeah, yeah, just go help save the world already.” 

Cas stood next to his alternate self while both Jacks stood on either side of Dean. Each Jack placed one hand on Dean and started focusing their energy. Cas watched as a sudden bubble of light formed around Dean. This was starting to look eerily familiar. 

“We’re in. I’m sending him the message now.” Jack said with his eyes closed. 

Out of the blue there came a loud noise and whisks of gray all around. Cas froze this was one of the things he saw in juniors vision. What was it? The gray strands were forming together and whipping around Dean. Cas and his other self immediately called out trying to reach Dean. Monica rushed over to try to pull him out as well. The other Jack got pushed away and now was standing on the outside. Within a few moments Cas saw his Jack tossed to the side as well. Despite this Jack's eyes were glowing bright and his arms were out. He still had a connection to Dean. 

“Cas! Cas!” Dean's voice was clear as bells despite the loud howling. Cas kept trying to reach Dean but it was pointless, without his grace there was nothing he could do.

“We’re right here Dean! Hang on!” Cas heard the other Castiel crying out. Junior was huddled in a corner as he realized what was happening. This was the last vision that he had. 

There was a rush of wind and Cas felt the presence of many other beings all surrounding the group. The wind and fog around them grew. It looked like things were spinning in circles around them trying to contain this new grey power. 

“What is this?” 

“Chaos. Tezcatlipoca is now powerful enough to create this chaos.” Jack said in a strained voice. “Dean we need you to say the spell! We need the help of the angels!” Jack said more loudly. Jack lifted up his second hand and another beam of light shone as he connected to Dean. “He’s close! We need time. Cas, I need to call it. It’s the only way..” 

Cas paled as he understood what was about to happen. Jack needed to bring the empty to this world to ward off Chaos. Cas was about to tell him no and that there had to be another way! But it was too late, the black goo of the empty was already appearing in the circle. 

Cas felt the fear and dread take over his body. He started running towards Dean. It wasn’t his Dean but it still felt like it was. He could see Deans soul splitting and cracking as multiple powers were all around him. The chaos, empty, and gods all seemed to be closing in on Dean and everyone seemed to be losing sight of him. Jack was still focusing on Dean, his eyes were closed and both arms had beams of light surging towards Dean. Jack was now on his knees trying his best to hold on. No one else could help, they didn’t have enough power or energy to help Jack hold on to the connection. Just when all hope seemed to be lost Cas felt a surge of power within him causing him to gasp. He turned around and saw that Gabriel, DJ and both Jacks were now glowing. Within seconds a rush of white and yellow light burst out from the middle where Dean was standing. 

“The angels!” Gabriel softly exclaimed, watching in awe. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The angels are free! Is Dean alright though? 
> 
> As always, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	36. Chapter 36

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or the characters in the show.

Dean had been tearing the room apart. One minute Monica and Junior were with him searching around and the next he heard Junior cry out and disappear in front of his eyes. Sammy was going to kill him. He just lost his nephew! How did that even happen? Dean took out his phone to call Cas but the stupid thing wouldn’t turn on. Dean tossed his phone to the side and sat down. His elbows in his knees and head resting in his hands. 

What could he do? Clearly whatever was happening was related to this place. Everyone had disappeared from this location. Dean looked over and saw the jacket left behind. It looked a lot like a jacket that Jack would wear. That meant it wasn’t just a recent thing. The Jack from this world probably disappeared from this location too. 

Dean started listing out all the information he knew. 

  * Jack got stuck in a ‘foggy place’
  * Angels were missing, stuck in the middle of a reset. 
  * This reset was draining Cas, Gabriel and Jack. 
  * This world's Sam, DJ, Dean, Cas and Jack were all missing. They were last seen in this town? 
  * Junior saw a vision where his soul would be torn apart by the empty and other powers



This list wasn’t really helping. Dean groaned and rubbed his eyes. Sure it’s been a while since he had been hunting alone but he knew how to do this. Alright there had to be something else he knew. He thought back to his visions. Wait that’s it. His visions. He remembered Cas and Jack talking about how his visions weren’t exactly visions. He was seeing what his alternate self was seeing. So that meant that his vision of Sam and Claire was of this world's Dean helping them into the foggy place. So, chances were that Junior and Monica were with them as well. Dean calmed down a bit once that thought settled in his brain. 

Looking around he noticed a lot of jars with various things. Ingredients! This was a warehouse with rare supplies for spells! He really wished Sam or Junior was with him. Those two had better luck with spells. He was more of the fighting and shooting guy himself. Dean started to look through the ingredients when he saw something move out of the corner of the eye. Turning around he saw a stack of books. Moving closer he noticed they were books of spells! Oh thank Jack, Dean started grabbing a few and flipping through trying to find a spell related to the heaven rest or forming a connection with other versions of themselves. Either of those would help out in the long run. 

Flipping through the books was tedious, many spells were in Latin which wasn’t too bad to translate but there didn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to the order of the spells. This meant he really did have to read through them to get a good understanding. It felt hopeless. He couldn’t tell how long it had been since the others had disappeared and honestly Dean didn’t want to leave just in case they randomly popped up again. It was a long shot, yes, but a guy could always hope right? 

Dean was flipping through the third book when he felt something. His arms went straight to his head as the pain started to grow. It felt like something was tearing his head apart. After a moment though the pain stopped. Dean opened his eyes and things seemed blurry. He saw fog but also saw the warehouse. He tried to wave his hands through the smoke and fog but it didn’t move. Dean groaned, how was he going to read if he couldn’t see anything clearly in front of him. 

_ Dean? _

Dean jumped as he heard his name. 

“Who’s here?” Dean quickly put his arms up in a defensive boxing stance. He couldn’t tell where the voice came from, but it was loud and clear so the source had to be close by. 

_ Dean, calm down, it’s me.  _

Dean knew this voice, it seemed to come from within his head. Oh dear god he hoped it was him. Otherwise he was definitely going crazy. He nervously calls out, “Jack?”

_ Yes it’s me, we are all in the foggy place. We don’t have much time. We need your help.  _

“You still have your powers?” 

_ Kind of. They are diminished a bit but I have enough to strengthen whatever this connection you and this Dean from this world have.  _

“Why do we have this connection? Is it dangerous for him or me? Are you alright using your powers? Maybe I should…”

_ Dean focus, it’s difficult to hold the connection here. We need you to find a vase. That’s the object with the angels and heaven. You need to finish the spell. There’s a war between gods up here and we need the angels help to stop it. Dean? Dean do you hear me? _

Dean's head was spinning. This connection was making his headache worse and he still couldn’t see past the smoke or fog. He stumbled around trying to find a place to sit. Reaching around he knocked over a stack of books and a jar or two before he found the chair. He carefully sat down before responding to Jack. 

“I need to find a vase? Complete the spell. Jack where is the vase and what’s the spell? What’s going on up there?”

_ Samuel said the vase is in the warehouse you are in. The spell should be there too. A separate sheet of paper. Apparently Chuck gave it to them. Ugh shoot hold on. _

Dean heard a loud howl and couldn’t hear Jack anymore. Scared he started calling out to him. “Jack! Jack are you alright?” 

_ We need you to find it quick! Tezcatlipoca just created a new powerful entity— chaos. Dean we need you to say the spell! We need the help of the angels! _

“Jack I can’t see, all I see if fog and smoke. I can’t see anything in front of me.” Dean's voice laced with panic. He knew what he had to do but how could he complete his task without his sight? There was a chance he could find a vase but he doesn’t know the spell. He needed things to be less blurry. 

_ How long have you been having smoky vision? _

“Since you started talking to me, a little before that.” 

_ Shoot… ok hold on let me talk to Cas.  _

Dean started walking around he could barely make out things in the room. He slowly moved around trying to make sure he didn’t knock anything over. Vase, come on where would a vase be. A spell. He’d think it would’ve been near a table and the supplies but he didn’t remember seeing anything here. Wait there was something nearby the place where they saw Jack's jacket. Dean turns and makes his way over. He felt something; this must be the vase. He kept looking around, mainly feeling around for any loose leaf sheet of paper. He found three but his vision was still fogged up; he couldn’t tell if any of these were the right paper. 

“Jack I think I have the vase but I still can’t see if I have the spell.” Dean heard a loud noise and felt a sharp pain in his head. 

_ Sorry, how about now is it any clearer? I lost direct contact with Dean up here so I’m not sure how clear our connection is or how long it will last.  _

Dean blinks and looks around. His vision was still a bit blurry but he could read if he tried hard. He looked through the papers in his hand. 

reset mundi

virtutes sileo

videretur revocandam compo statera

Pax videretur revocandam compo

reset mundi 

That seemed about right. It wouldn’t hurt to try right. 

“Jack any chance you can see what I’m seeing?”

_ No but I imagine the spell is Latin. Has something to do with balance— _

“Ok ok I think I have it hold on. I’ll say it real quick and hopefully good stuff happens”

_ Hurry!  _

Dean quickly went to grab the necessary ingredients for the spell and complete it. Once everything was done Dean waited. He didn’t hear anything from Jack and nothing seemed to change here. Did he mess up? Was it a different spell? Dean starts to look through the papers again trying to find a different spell. Just when all hope seemed to be lost he saw a bright light flash upward from the vase. 

It worked. All the angels and grace was released! “Jack?”

_ Thank you Dean. I need to go. Hold on.  _

Dean suddenly felt himself spinning. Once the feeling stopped he looked around and saw that he was with everyone else. Well almost everyone. He saw a kid who looked exactly like Jack but it wasn’t his Jack. He didn’t know how he knew but he just did. Where did Jack go? 

“Dean!” 

Dean turned as Sam engulfed him into a hug. “You did it! You released the angels.” Sam said in awe. 

“What’s happening?” Dean asked, still trying to wrap his head around what had happened over the past few minutes. His head wasn’t throbbing anymore and his eyes were adjusting to the fact he could see clearly again. 

“There is a war, Tezcatlipoca is an Aztec god of creation. Whenever a world is reborn he wants to rule. When dad last encountered him he, aunt amara and the other gods apparently appeased him by putting him to sleep. They expected there to be no humans when the world would be reborn. That way there would be time to renegotiate terms. When Jack revived this world it woke him up and he started his destruction again.” Gabriel tried explaining quickly. “All the gods are here but many are weakened from fighting for so long. We needed the angels to help hold Tezcatlipoca down long enough for Jack to renegotiate terms.” Gabriel looked up and nodded. “I need to go, they’re calling. Cas, Cassie, Jack, DJ you all need to come too.” 

Dean watched as they all disappeared in front of him. The other Sam cried out as his son was taken away from him. 

“This is all your fault!” the other Sam yelled as he ran and jumped at Dean. 

“Woah.. hold on,” Dean tried to defend himself.

“Samuel William Winchester!” Dan heard a voice just like his shout. Both his brother and the Sam from this world flinched. Dean didn’t think he ever yelled at his brother like that. Ever. 

The other Dean helped him get up and moved the other Sam away. 

“He came from another world to help fix this mess!” The other Dean said sternly to his brother. 

“Your right I should be attacking you! How did you get out of hell anyways?”

“You’re the one who sent him back to hell! Again!” Monica was lunging towards Samuel but the other Dean stopped her. 

“Woah there shortstop calm down, I’m here now no need to attack.” The other Dean told Monica while trying to calm her down. 

“He always tries to help you! Why don’t you ever see that? Every time he helps you hurt him! He’s your brother for god's sake!” Monica ignored her Dean and kept screaming at Samuel. 

Dean moved closer to his own brother as the other Sam and Dean kept arguing. “I’m so glad that we were never like that!” Dean whispered to his brother. 

“They hate each other. Or at least apparently he hates Dean. You’ve never called my by my full name.” Sam responded

“Yeah it just feels wrong hearing it.” Dean responded giving his younger brother a pat. “How’s stuff been?”

“Rough, I hate the idea of us not being us you know?” Sam says. 

Dean got some flashbacks to the times his brother was mad at him. When he’d want to be just hunting partners or when they’d gone a few years without talking. Those were some of the worst times of his life. How this Dean got through it, he had no clue. “Me too Sammy, me too!” Dean watched as his other self was carefully holding Monica back and trying to diffuse the situation. “What’s the deal here? You have any idea how this ended up being the type of relationship we have in this universe?” 

“Not exactly, Claire said that you were disowned? You and Monica were family long before she entered the picture. Apparently you always tried with me but I was the one who hurt you every time. It’s why they didn’t trust me.” Sam muttered looking down himself. “Dean I’ve let you down so many times and you always…”

“Shut up, you're my brother and that never mattered. All that matters is that you’re safe and happy. You know that.” Dean quickly cut his brother off there was a lot more going on now and they didn’t need to rehash anything.

“Where did that guy take my son?” Samuel yelled again. 

“We don’t know where Gabriel took him but seriously it’s your fault. It’s probably because you gave him Jack’s grace.” Claire responded in a snarky tone. 

“Claire not helping,” the other Dean sighed.

“I’m not sorry Pops, plus you know it’s probably true even those three probably agree.” Claire retorted back. 

“Kevin, if you want to make me happy help me out here.” the other Dean turned to the boy. 

“Kev don’t you dare! You know what he’s done!” Monica said glaring back. 

“Uhh…” Kevin seemed lost trying to figure out who to support. 

“Oh and those two are dating, so that’s fun.” Sammy mumbled to Dean. 

“Oh I know, the kid broke down and told me a while ago.” Dean thought back to the random outburst. “I’m guessing it’s all official now.”

“Yeah..” 

Dean paused and looked at Junior. “Hows mini me? He seems spooked.” 

“Hey Deanno you ok?” Sam asked his son. 

Junior shook his head. Dean immediately went to the other side of the kid. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” 

“I… my head…” junior moaned. “It’s so loud… the yelling…” 

“Hey! Will you all just shut up? Or at the very least keep it down?” Dean yelled at the crowd. They all stopped immediately. 

“Junior? You ok buddy?” Claire rushed over to the kid. 

Junior had tears streaming down his face but he wasn’t talking yet. He was cradling himself and rocking back and forth. 

“Is he having a panic attack?” Samuel asked softly. 

“No, this is something else.” Sam responded without taking his eyes off of Junior. 

Dean saw that Samuel had taken a few steps back and looked more pale. It probably wasn’t easy seeing someone who looked exactly like your son in a position like this. He felt bad for the guy despite the fact he was trying to kill him a few moments ago. In the end Samuel was just trying to protect and save his kid right? It was kind of hard to fault him for that. Especially considering he and Sam have caused multiple apocalyptic events trying to save each other. 

Dean heard Junior whimper as he reached out. Junior grabbed both Sam and Dean's arms. “I see it. I see them…” 

Dean gives Sam a quick look trying to gauge if he’s the only one confused. Clearly not, as Sam was also frowning. “See who?” 

“All of them. All the gods. I think I’m seeing what DJ is seeing.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italics = Jack talking to Dean through the connection he set up. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!


	37. Chapter 37

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or the characters in the show.

Junior saw Uncle Dean appear. This was somewhat relaxing to him. He hated the idea that his uncle was the only one separated from the rest of the group. He also had seen the rush of white light. Uncle Dean had been able to release the angels and the moment that it happened Jack disappeared without saying anything. It wasn’t until Gabriel explained things to Uncle Dean that the Junior understood that Jack had to go help with the other situation here. 

Junior watched as Samuel attacked uncle Dean. It was a weird sight to see. From the time he had entered heaven he’d been watching his dad and uncle’s interactions. They loved each other so much and it was painfully clear to anyone. This world was very different and it was kind of scary to see what might have happened if uncle Dean and his dad didn’t get along. Uncle Dean and dad were quietly talking to each other. Junior couldn’t quite hear what they were saying. The argument between the other brothers was much louder and was growing to include more people. 

Junior stayed silent, there wasn’t much he could do right? It’s not like he could stop them from arguing and Jack would have taken him if there was a way for him to help. What Junior didn’t understand was why did Jack bring uncle Dean here rather than sending everyone back? Maybe the war was just more pressing. Yeah that was probably it, what did Jack call it? Chaos? The new gray thing? That and the empty were here now so Jack probably had a lot on his plate. Hopefully everything will be resolved soon. He wanted to go home and see his mom. Maybe dad was right, maybe he should stick to a normal life. Hunting would mean things like this and Junior wasn’t so sure he was cut out for this life. He could help sure, but he didn’t want to do this forever. 

Junior noticed his vision blurring first. Momentarily he felt something at the back of his head. He wasn’t hit with anything. No, the pain was from inside. Why? What happened. Nothing was going on here. The blurriness faded but Junior didn’t see his dad. He saw Jack, and all the other gods. He was in the middle of the war. He huddles himself into a ball and starts to rock back and forth. He feels something within him. The fear, the feeling that there was too much going on around him and nothing he could control. His heart rate was going up. This was not the time for a panic attack. Junior forces himself to take a breath. That's when he realized this wasn’t him. He was fine, his body wasn’t reacting. Someone else's was. Junior vaguely heard his dad asking him a question. 

He was walking through the crowd, trying to get somewhere. Not somewhere, to someone. There they were, the other Jack and Gabriel. The ground shook so he reached out to both of them trying to keep upright. “I see it. I see them…” Junior whimpers as he dodges a bright light headed his way. 

He can hear his dad and uncle dean but all he could see was everything else. It took a few minutes for it to register that uncle dean had asked a question. What was he seeing? Whose body was he seeing it from? He looks around and notices that there is only one person who he can’t see. He looks down at himself. That was all the evidence he needed. “All of them. All the gods. I think I’m seeing what DJ is seeing.” Junior whispers. 

If it was true, that he was seeing and feeling what DJ was then that meant that DJ was on the verge of a full blown panic attack. That was not going to end well. Especially if he was in the middle of all that chaos. Literally, it looked like they were in the middle of Chaos and the Empty. Outside of that all the gods were trying to get Tezcatolpia to stand down. Ok think there must be a reason for this right? Maybe Jack was setting up this connection so that Junior could help DJ? Let's go with that. If that was the case maybe he should try talking to DJ? Junior took a deep breath and started to call out to DJ in his head. If this didn’t work he guessed he could always pray. 

_ DJ? Dustin? Can you hear me? _

There was silence. No response but his hands were shaking now. Was it his hands or DJs hands? Maybe it was both of their hands. This was getting really confusing. Junior tried again.

_ DJ? It’s Junior. I want to help but I need to know if you can hear me.  _ Junior paused for a moment and then decided to continue.  _ I can see everything you are seeing. I … I want to help you through this.  _

_ I c-can h-h-hear you.  _ DJs voice was stuttering in his head. He must be trying to keep a calm exterior if he was having this much trouble talking.

_ I can’t-t-t stop-pp-p. I can-n-n’t breath. It’s too m-m-much _

_ Take a deep breath. Stop focusing on what’s happening around you. Focus on my voice. Drown out every sound except mine.  _

Junior felt something else. His body relaxed but something inside was hurting. He couldn’t place his hand on it though, what was that? 

_ Good I feel you relaxing now tell me one thing you can physically feel.  _

_ My jacket?  _

_ Good! What about one more?  _

_ My socks, they are scratchy.  _

_ Haha so are mine! Ok now tell me one thing you can see.  _

_ Ahh there’s a lot.  _

_ I know just focus on one.  _

_ Um.. the trench coat. _

_ Cool another?  _

_ The red beady eyes? Oh god. What am I going to do?  _

Junior flinched as he felt that strange feeling inside of him ready to attack. What was that? Ignoring it he focused on those eyes. Junior didn’t know who it was yet somehow he just got a feeling that this was Tezcatlipoca. How was Junior able to tell who was who? He didn’t know these gods, yet anytime he’d look at them he just knew. It seemed instinctive.

_ Junior? _

_ Yeah?  _

_ What’s our plan? _

_ I don’t know. What’s this thing inside you ready to attack?  _

_ I think it’s Jack's grace. Since it’s all restored it’s getting confused.  _

_ Maybe join Jack? Maybe if you work together you can stop the creepy god?  _

_ I guess that shouldn’t hurt. How much worse of a situation could we get ourselves in?  _

Junior waited patiently as DJ went to talk to Jack. It was hard to listen to anything that was being said out loud. Instead he could only hear what was happening around himself. This felt like a weird out of body experience, he could see everything in a different place but he could only hear stuff from his own body. Yet he could talk to the other version of himself through his mind. 

“Buddy? Hey Deano, talk to us!” 

Junior jumped a little when he heard his dad's voice. “Dad?”

“I’m right here, what's going on? You’ve been pretty quiet and you keep staring off into the distance.”

“I think I’m connected to DJ like uncle Dean was. I’m talking to him and I can see what’s happening. He’s ok by the way…” 

_ You were right, when we are together the grace is calmer and Jack can better control it. Woah did you see that. _

_ Yeah! What was that? Was that the empty or was that chaos?  _

_ The empty? I think? I hope… _

_ Right it’s weird to think that the empty is on our side. My dad, Cas and Uncle Dean don’t like the empty. They had to fight it before. _

_ Oof that’s rough. I’m glad it’s on our side, chaos and Tezcatlipoca are terrifying enough. I wouldn’t want the empty on top of that. Oh! Sorry, Jacks calling got to go.  _

Junior watched as the other Jack and DJ held hands. The moment that Jack’s hand touched DJ’s there was a shock going through his body. Junior suddenly saw more clearly and the feeling inside, Junior thinks it the grace, was excited and ready to be used. 

_ Jack says we need to weaken Chaos. Any chance you have any ideas? _

_ Just attack it? Maybe that will distract it enough so that the empty can overtake it? _

Junior closely watched the battle. Every time the other Jack and DJ attacked the chaos it seemed to get more powerful. This plan was failing. It wasn’t distracting Chaos at all. How could they defeat the chaos if the war around it was feeding it. There had to be something a weak spot right? Junior looked past the gray blob trying to find its origins. There was a dark orb glowing in the corner over there. It was pretty hidden by the gray blob. 

_ Wait DJ, do you see that dark orb? It’s floating a bit. _

_ I think so, what is it? _

_ Try attacking that. I think it’s the main power-source.  _

_ You're right Jack says he feels the strongest source of power from there. It must be what Tezcatalopa created the chaos from.  _

_ If that's the case it probably will act like a heart.  _

It went silent again as DJ spoke to Jack. Junior saw the two take turns trying to hit the orb. As the chaos realized what was going on the orb started moving a little. Chaos was trying to fight off the empty and protect the orb.

_ We can’t get it. It’s too protected and we keep missing. _

_ Try aiming and hitting it together at the same time. Plan it out. Do you see that? It's working on a pattern. It’s like a really poorly programmed game. That there! That moment is the weak spot.  _

_ OH! I see, that's the glitch in the game. Hold on I’ll tell Jack so we can hit it together. _

“They are close. DJ and Jack have to stay close together to keep the grace calm and controlled. That’s why they left.” Junior said out loud once DJ started talking to Jack. 

Junior heard a sigh of relief as soon as he finished talking. He focused his energy back towards the war. Watching in awe he noticed that DJ was glowing just like the other angels. Actually a little more. The same as Jack, as both Jacks? Both the other Jack and DJ were shining bright as they put their hands out together and hit the orb. 

The moment the orb shattered something changed, looking up Junior saw that the empty had overtaken Chaos. The gray blob was gone and only the black wisps remained. The empty had stopped its destruction and was kind of floating over everyone. The angels and other gods had cornered Tezcatlipoca. He looked distressed as his creation was gone. Junior still couldn’t hear anything but it seemed like Jack — the one he knew— was talking to Tezcatlipoca. Tezcatlipoca was accepting defeat. 

All the other gods backed off as Jack moved towards Tezcatlipoca and put him into a deep sleep once again. Afterwards Jack put his arms up and a bright light radiated out from him hitting everything around him. The angels and gods who were injured were immediately healed and they each started disappearing. 

In the end it was just Gabriel, the two Castiel’s and the two Jacks left. The Jack that Junior knew came over and looked at DJ. It actually felt like Jack was looking through DJ and at Junior who was still within him. 

**_How are you here?_ **

_ I don’t know Jack. I thought you brought me. _

**_How long have you been here?_ **

_ Pretty much since you brought me here? A bit after maybe? _

**_You can hear me too DJ?_ **

_ Yes? Am I not supposed to? Sorry it's kinda loud in my head. _

_ Wait Jack, why are you asking all this? I thought you set up this connection like you did with Uncle Dean. _

**_So Junior you only hear everything DJ can?_ **

_ No I can see you all and hear DJ’s thoughts and you I guess? Oh I can also see what DJ is seeing.  _

**_You can see!_ **

Junior waited for Jack to continue but he seemed to be peering in. It was making DJ antsy and Junior could feel it. It may have only been a minute but it felt like an hour of silence so Junior spoke up again.

_ Jack, what's going on? _

**_I didn’t do this, I’m trying to -- Oh! Interesting. Hold on._ **

Jack snapped his fingers and Junior could now see everything in front of him again. They weren’t in the foggy plane, they were back in the abandoned warehouse. 

“Uncle Dean? Why is this place a mess?” 

Uncle Dean scoffed, “you try looking for a vase and spell without being able to see anything. Plus you all vanished. What did you think I’d do? Silently clean up and go about my day?” 

The other Dean and his dad both chuckled at Uncle Dean's response. 

“Wait kiddo you can see us again?” Uncle Dean asked.

“Yeah, It’s over, Jack sent us back.”

“Where are they then? Is..”

“DJ is fine, he is with the others. I thought they would be here. “ 

A few small thuds came from behind him. Both Castiels and Gabriel were now with them. 

“Where are—” Uncle Dean started to ask but Cas interrupted.

“Jack told us to meet them at the bunker. He took care of the cars. We are going to fly back.”

“What happened?” Junior heard his dad ask. 

“We don’t know… Jack says there’s another problem to fix.” Gabriel started looking worn out and tired. “That’s all he said before he vanished.” 

* * *

** Just to clarify **

_Junior speaking in his head_

_DJ speaking in his head_

**Jack from Junior's world speaking to both Junior and DJ**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! The war of the gods is over! But what does Jack still have to fix? 
> 
> This story is almost over, just a few more chapters remaining. I hope you all enjoyed it so far!


	38. Chapter 38

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or any of the characters in the show.

Jack had seen it all happen in slow motion. The other version of himself had worked with DJ to shatter the orb. He felt that power. Why? That didn’t make any sense. After they finally talked Tezcatlipoca down he put the god back into a deep sleep. This time provisions were put in place to ensure that when he woke up humans were not going to be affected. Restarted worlds and revived worlds were different, and now that Jack knew that he could be careful about reviving the other worlds. 

He went through to heal everyone and that was enough to start sending all the gods back. He could sense heaven and all the angels. He could finally tell where they were in relation to other worlds. Everything seemed normal now that the heaven reset was complete and the war was won. Despite all the good signs something was still bothering Jack. What was that thing with the orb? Why did he feel the power within his bones? He didn’t create chaos, he should not have felt the destruction as strongly as he did. Yet it wasn’t the destruction that he felt it was something different. 

He walked towards the other Jack and DJ meaning to ask what had happened. As he looked at DJ though he sensed another’s presence. Piercing through DJ’s eyes was another soul. It wasn’t trapped, it was just connected. Strange. How did that happen? How long had it been there? He decided to jump in and see what was actually going on. 

As soon as he made it into DJs mind and body he knew who the soul was. Junior! Is this how the kid had gotten the visions before? Wait that still didn’t make sense. There was more here to uncover. He knew that the two children could feel his presence so he decided to talk to them as he explored this connection. Did the other Jack's grace cause this? It wasn’t his doing and that was the best idea he had so far. 

_How are you here?_

_ I don’t know Jack. I thought you brought me. _

_How long have you been here?_

**_Pretty much since you brought me here? A bit after maybe?_ ** Ah ok so DJ was aware of the connection. This seemed different than the one Dean had or has— he wasn’t sure if the connection between the two Deans still existed. 

_You can hear me too DJ?_

**_Yes? Am I not supposed to? Sorry it's kinda loud in my head._ **

_ Wait Jack, why are you asking all this? I thought you set up this connection like you did with Uncle Dean. _

_So Junior you only hear everything DJ can?_

_ No I can see you all and hear DJ’s thoughts and you I guess? Oh I can also see what DJ is seeing.  _

_You can see!_

More and more differences! What was this? Jack recognized it but he couldn’t find the source. It shouldn’t be taking this long.

_ Jack, what's going on? _

_I didn’t do this, I’m trying to -- Oh! Interesting. Hold on._

There it was. Wait was it? How did that happen? No wonder it was taking him so long. No wonder Tezcatlipoca was so mad. He needed to figure out what led to this. He sent Junior back and away from DJ. It wasn’t connected to Junior anyway. He needed to investigate this more with the other Jack and DJ. 

**_Jack? He’s gone!_ Oh right he should probably tell the kid that was fine. **

_Yeah sorry, that was me. I need to talk to you and Jack alone. Give me a moment to tell the others to go back_

Jack quickly returned to this vessel and told the angels to go back to the group. 

“Jack what’s going on? Aren’t you coming with us?” Cas asked, placing his hand on Jack's arm. 

“Yeah! We did it! Restored heaven and stopped a war of the ages and Almighty's power struggle. It’s time to relax.” Gabriel exclaimed, jumping a little with excitement.

“Yes we did, so you all go relax. I’ll send the cars back. But go straight to the bunker.” 

“Why? The other Castiel asked curious as to why they were being instructed to go to the bunker.

“There may be another problem. I need time to figure out what happened and it will be easier and safer to do so there. I’ll meet you all there and then explain once I have a better understanding. I’m keeping these two.” Jack said quickly while glancing back at the other two who were lingering back. The other Jack and DJ were making their way towards them and Jack really wanted the angels to leave so he’d have some more clarity. 

“Cas please, just trust me.” Jack looked to Cas with large pleading eyes. 

Cas stared back at him waiting for a better explanation when Jack didn’t give any he gave up, “Fine. But I’m not happy about this.” 

“Thank you Cas! I promise I’ll explain later. Now go!” Jack gave Cas a quick hug and snapped the three angels away. That left him alone with DJ and the other Jack. 

“Ok I’m going to take us back to the bunker.” Jack told them. 

“Why are we going separately?” The other Jack asked.

“There’s something different about you two. I need to figure it out.” Jack responded trying to keep things ambiguous. He had a good idea of what may be happening but he didn’t want to say anything in case he was wrong. Hopefully he was wrong.

“But why did they leave? Why did you send everyone away?” DJ whimpered a bit. 

“Their grace was making it difficult for me to focus on yours. Also Junior had nothing to do with this.”

Jack snapped his fingers and set up a shooting range of sorts. “I want you two to work together and shoot the flying disks. Like you did with the orb.” 

The two looked confused but didn’t ask any questions. They both went and started working out a plan. Jack watched silently from the corner. The moment the bright light spewed from their hands Jack felt it. He felt it in his gut. It didn’t stop though, they kept aiming and releasing the power and Jack felt like he was recoiling every time. 

* * *

_ What is that? _

_ You know what it is _

_ No! It can’t be. _

**_Why not?_ **

_ Stop no!  _

**_You're the one who did this, why are you so shocked?_ **

_ No! Stop!  _ It couldn’t be true. How had he done this? This would mean…

_ Are you in control? _

_ I’ve locked part of myself away, so we’d be in balance  _

_ No is he in control? _

**_You tell me._ **

_ Do they know? _

**_Did you know?_ **

Jack's head was spinning and he felt nauseous. He knew everything that he needed to know. “Stop!” He cried out to the two boys. “You can stop now.” 

“Is everything alright?” 

Jack wasn’t sure which boy asked the question, he was still running through various scenarios in his head. How did this happen? It was his fault, obviously, but how? How could he fix this? 

“Jack?”

_ The boy needs his grace restored. _

**_Well everyone knows that_ **

_ Will you stop scaring him? Just tell them to unite the grace. Then you can do what you need to. _

**_Or you can leave it alone! I mean what could possibly go wrong?_ **

_ I don’t trust you _

**_But you trust her? I’m hurt._ **

_ She’s proven herself  _

**_Please, you’re nothing without me._ **

_ STOP _

  
  


Jack pushed himself back to the boys to give them the instructions. The darkness was right, if he was going to fix this then then the other Jack needed his grace restored. “I’m sending you back, you need to give him his grace back.” Jack directed to DJ. The young child nodded with understanding. “And once it’s all returned to you do not use your powers. Alright? Under NO circumstances can you use your powers!” The other Jack had widened his eyes and nodded. The two boys looked confused but also seemed scared of him. He didn’t know what to tell them so he accepted that they would follow his instructions and sent the two back to the bunker. 

Jack didn’t go back yet. He needed a moment to figure out what to do. If he went back now everyone would start asking him questions. He wasn’t sure he had any answers he wanted to share. 

_ It’s just him? Not you? _

_ Just him _

_ In the beginning you would be escaping, Cas would try to hold you in.  _

_ Jack, I want to be here. I did what I could to anchor myself to you. You were also conscious of me, so you spent your time making sure I’d be in check.  _

**_See you trust me!_ **

_ No I don’t _

**_Clearly you do if you let me out! Aww I knew you loved me_ **

_ Shut up _

**_But we’re having such a great time!_ **

_ Shut it! I’m not talking to you.  _

_ Sorry, he’s always been this annoying  _

**_You know you love me_ **

_ Not right now, now be quiet. _

_ Did you know? _

_ I had a small inkling, I thought you did too. I guess that was him though _

_ How did you know? _

**_Oh please you can’t be that dumb! How did you think the visions came through? Who could possibly send those other than me?_ **

_ But free will?  _

**_Ha, free will! You thought there’s free will with me?_ **

Jack couldn’t take this anymore. How did he miss this? It seemed so clear now. The moment Junior had visions he should have known he was at play. How much of this was orchestrated by him and how much did Jack have control over? 

Jack was feeling overwhelmed. What was he going to do? How was he supposed to regain control? He didn’t see this happening and it was right in front of him the whole time! 

_ Jack you need to calm down!  _

She sounded worried, the darkness was worried. If the darkness was worried then Jack needed help. Jack did the first thing he could think of, he went straight to Cas and Dean. His Cas and Dean, he needed them. They would keep him safe as he regained control. 

  
  


The room he landed in was dark. Jack hadn’t thought too much about it and ended up knocking over a few things. Was it a plate? Or maybe it was a glass. Whatever it was shattered when it hit the floor. He’d take care of that later. 

“Jack?” Cas was immediately by his side. Dean was rubbing his eyes as he got up and turned on a light. 

“I messed up. I didn’t see it. It was right there the whole time and I didn’t see it… I messed up.” Jack started muttering as he clutched onto Cas as if he was his life support. “I messed up”

“What happened? Are you hurt? Jack? Jack! Cas, is he hurt?” Dean was frantically looking around for any injuries as Cas helped Jack into the bed. 

“I don’t sense any injuries.” Cas said as he placed his hand on Jack’s forehead. “Maybe we should call…”

“NO! Don’t call anyone! Please no one else!” Jack shot up as he begged Dean and Cas not to bring anyone else. 

“Jack what’s wrong? We can’t help without knowing what’s happening.” Dean tried to sooth Jack down. 

Jack stayed silent. “I messed up, I need to regain control.”

“Is it the darkness?” Cas asked, “it seems to be fine. I really think Gabriel should be here. He’s more powerful than me.”

“No! Please Cas! Don’t call him!” 

Jack saw Dean and Cas have a silent conversation. After a moment Dean turned back to Jack. 

“Ok kiddo, it will just be us alright? But you need to calm down and tell us what’s going on. You disappeared on us. You told everyone to come back here and sent those two back but you were gone. Nobody could reach you.” Dean paused as he rubbed his forehead, “you told people that there’s a problem but didn’t explain it to anyone. You told the other Jack to not use his powers once he got his grace back and didn’t give any explanation. Jack we couldn’t contact you or find you for hours!” 

Jack's eyes widened at the mention of his alternate self. “Did he use his powers? He can’t use his powers! Not yet. I need to fix it!” 

“Woah there, calm down. It took some convincing but we got his grace back and he hasn’t been using his powers.” Dean said calmly as he pulled Jack back to the bed. “Do you need to ‘ _fix_ _it’_ right now?”

“I need to fix it but I’m scared.” 

“Jack what do you need to fix?”

Jack looked between Cas and Dean. He was scared they’d get angry at him for messing up. He let this happen. It wasn’t anyone else’s fault but himself. Jack had tears streaming down his face and he felt Dean pull him into a hug. Jack stayed quiet for a while trying to grasp this feeling. The warmth from Dean and Cas as they sandwiched him in this hug. Cas was muttering a small Enochian phrase, it was meant to help calm him. It wasn’t doing much but he appreciated the effort. Would all this change once he told them how he had lost control? He didn’t want to lose them. All that said he had to tell them. He knew that. Plus Dean forgave him so many times. He’d forgive him now too right? 

“I’m sorry.” Jack started as he slowly pulled back. He refused to look at either father figure in the eyes. “I’m sorry. I don’t know how long I had lost control but…” Jack shook his head this wasn’t the best way to say this. He took another breath and tried again. “It’s my fault. I know that. I’ll fix it.” 

Jack stared intensely at the blanket under him trying to figure out how to explain his newfound knowledge. “I..I’m not sure how to explain this. I’m not sure when or where it all started.” 

“What did you lose control of Jack?” Cas asked gently while giving his shoulder a small squeeze. 

Jack closed his eyes trying to hold back his tears and stop himself from shaking again. “The light” he whispered.

“The light?” Dean asked softly. 

“Chuck’s powers, the light. We had been so focused on making sure the darkness didn’t have too much control that I didn’t notice the light escaping.”

Both Cas and Dean were silent. Jack was too scared to look up at them so he quickly started rambling as much of an explanation as he could put together. “Once I absorbed Chuck's powers I kept them at bay, only using them to help keep the darkness in check and for reviving the other universes. I still have my powers so I’d use those more than the light and dark. I’d take small portions of the light for the revivals but mainly I’d keep it locked within me, kind of like the darkness. I didn’t pay much attention since I’d just check in on the darkness. She was easier to talk to. She’d be honest and tell me if she sensed any imbalances. After a while she started to take care of imbalances on her own, so I didn’t need to check as often. I didn’t want to use the light because it felt corrupted by Chuck. I didn’t want to be corrupted so I used my own power as much as possible.” 

“Ok, so how did the light take control?” Dean asked. His voice didn’t sound angry, that was a good sign he supposed. 

“I’m not entirely sure… it somehow escaped. The other Jack has the light's power. It was in both DJ and the other Jack but if you returned all of the other Jacks grace it should all be in him.” 

“So chuck’s old powers, the light, are in the other Jack and you have the darkness?” Cas asked.

Jack shook his head, “no, we both have the light, and I have the dark.” 

“The light is split between the two of you? Did it escape on its own?”

**_Nope you sent me over here yourself_ **

Jack flinched as he heard the light speak to him. “No, I accidentally sent it here when I was reviving this world. I didn’t know every soul that was in this world, I didn’t know there was another version of myself. I must have channeled a part of myself into this world’s Jack. That manifested as the light being entwined with my grace and normal powers.”

“And since the grace was split on this world the light was split amongst the two boys.” Dean said understanding.

“Junior's visions, they were the light weren’t they?” Cas asked thoughtfully.

Jack finally looked up at both Dean and Cas. Neither of them seemed to be angry, they both seemed to be in deep thought though, trying to make sense of everything. 

“They were. The light had the ability to remove one free will again. That’s why Junior’s visions came true.” 

“What about mine?” Dean asked, tilting his head slightly.

“Yours wasn’t really a vision of the future. Kevin had the prophetic vision sent to him by the light but you had a connection to this world's Dean.” Jack explained

“How?”

“I imagine it happened whenever Jack was using his powers with Dean. The same thing happened to Junior during that final battle. DJ was unaware he made this connection. They both thought it was me, but it was DJ accessing the light by accident.” 

“So this was still a part of Chuck's grand scheme?” 

“Yes?”

Jack saw Dean sigh, “well are you ok? Physically?”

“Yeah…”

“Mentally?”

“Uhh...”

“Right dumb question. Ignore that. We’ll figure that out.”

“You aren’t mad?”

“Mad? Why would we be mad?”

“It’s just like Chuck, I failed to allow free will! I took away people’s choices.”

“Jack, you're brand new to this, we don’t expect things to go perfectly.” 

“But.. I...”

“Everyone is fine, you fixed the problems in this world. There is no reason for us to be mad.” 

Jack stayed silent looking at Dean and Cas. They both had a loving expression on their face as they continued to calm him down. 

“We know first hand what it’s like to deal with amara and Chuck. Trust us, you are much better. You’ve handled so much on your own, you don’t need to do that. Talk to us. We may not be able to help with everything but we can help get things off your chest. We can help brainstorm ways to fix any problems.” 

Jack felt his eyes water up again as he crushed the two into another hug. He felt seen and heard. These two wouldn’t judge him for not solving problems, they would help any way they could. They were his family. 

“So do we have a problem? Can you just grab the light back?”

“I can, I just don’t know if I’ll be in control of it.”

“How do you control the darkness?”

“She honestly does so herself. She talks to me and we base it on that.” 

“Huh, what about the light? Does it speak to you?” 

“He hadn’t until now. Now he’s annoying. I’d really like him to stop speaking.”

Dean stared for a moment before he bursted out laughing. Jack turned to Cas wondering if the angel knew what was so funny. Cas was also frowning while watching Dean. 

“What did I say?” 

“Nothing, just sometimes you go from almighty creator to an innocent child so fast it catches me off guard.” 

“I’m not a child Dean”

“You are to us,” Cas said, chuckling at the display of the two men in front of him now making faces at each other. “Rest now, we’ll handle the situation tomorrow.” 

* * *

* * *

Before the first line break: 

_Jack's thoughts_

_Junior's thoughts_

**_DJ's thoughts_ **

After the line break:

_Jack's thoughts_

_The darkness_

**_The light_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	39. Chapter 39

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or the characters in the show

Cas stayed up that night watching over Dean and Jack. The two were exhausted and fell asleep pretty quickly after their childish antics. He thought about what Jack had told them. It made a lot of sense, he hadn’t even thought about why everyone was getting visions. He assumed Dean’s could be demonic (because of the other Dean’s trip to hell) but Juniors never did make sense until Jack explained them. He understood Jack's fear but it seemed a bit misplaced? The light didn’t seem to cause any harm. Maybe it was more of Jack's fear than actual danger? 

This world's Jack seemed fine despite having the power of the light in him. Even DJ was very accommodating to all the ideas and tasks that were given to him. It was their Jack, the one sleeping now in front of him, that seemed to have a strained relationship with the light. To be fair, Chuck was the one who wanted Jack dead. That would not bode well, but Jack never mentioned these fears before. Cas wondered how the light interacted with the others compared to Jack. Was only a portion of it tainted? Or was it all a part of Jack’s fear?

Cas’s train of thought paused as he heard shuffling sheets. Dean was waking up, which of course meant Jack would be too. Once the two were up and ready for the day they sat down to plan out what Jack was going to do. In the end Dean and Cas convinced Jack to tell the truth to everyone. Secrets would only make it worse and this way even if anything goes wrong this world has an idea about what it may be. 

When the three of them went to join the others for breakfast they were met with a strange silence. The tension in the room was high. Cas, Dean and Jack went to sit down as the girls waved them over. 

“Please tell me you like bacon?” The other Dean asks as they all sit down.

“I love it!” Dean exclaimed as the other Dean handed over a plate of food. 

Monica rolled her eyes as the other Dean started to bicker with her about her food choices. “See even the other me loves bacon! Why do you have to be against it?”

“I’m still young and care about my health, you on the other hand are an oldie so it doesn’t matter what you eat.” Monica replied, sticking her tongue out while the other Dean fake gasped. 

“Did she just call us old?” Dean asked while stuffing his mouth. 

“We are old now.” Cas placed a hand on Dean.

Dean sighed and turned to Cas, “you're not supposed to side with the kids!”

“DEEEEAN! THIS MEANS WAR!”

Everyone heard Sam scream from the hallway. 

“What did you do now?” Cas sighed as Dean was holding back laughter. 

“Really Dean? You want to start this now?” Sam said as he walked in. 

“I didn’t do anything dad! I promise!” Junior immediately starts moving far away from the hallway that Sam was standing.

Sam turned to Dean, squinting his eyes. “Slime in my shampoo? Really?” 

Junior started laughing and came over to Dean and gave him a high five. “Best uncle ever!” 

Cas turned to Dean and gave him an exasperated look. “It’s funny!” Dean quickly responds squirming a little. “Hey, at least I didn’t do nair again…”

“It’s childish! That’s what it is.”

“Aww come on Sammy, bring out the inner child. I know he’s still in there.” 

“I forgot how immature you are.” Sam said while rolling his eyes. “Remember you started this.”

“Ooh I’m so scared…” 

“Please don’t let this escalate as you have in the past!” Cas pleaded with both brothers. As soon as he looked in Dean's eyes he knew he made a mistake opening his mouth. He looked back at Sam who now had a similar look along with a smirk. 

“You know Dean, I don’t think Cas has enough fun…”

“I think your right Sam, perhaps we can band together”

“I hate you both.”

“No you don’t!” Dean jumps up offended.

“You’re right, I hate you. Sam is tolerable I suppose.” Cas deadpans. 

Jack starts laughing, as Cas, Dean and Sam continue their little quarrel over who gets to team up to prank others.The three adults stopped talking once they heard Jack’s laughter end and heard him clear his throat instead. 

“As fun as this is, I need to explain what happened yesterday. I apologize for any concern I may have caused.”

“No need to be so formal baby angel, we’re all family here” Gabriel pops up across from Jack. “Anyways what's the problem that you were so stressed about?”

“Baby angel?” the other Jack muttered.

“You’re still Jack in the box don’t worry kiddo! This one over here is almighty but younger than me so he’s still a baby angel.” Gabriel explained while grabbing a muffin off the table. 

Cas placed a hand on Jack’s shoulder signifying that he should ignore the side commentary and start his explanation. Once Jack finished telling his spiel about the portion of light that was accidentally sent to this world’s Jack there was a small moment of silence. 

“Is that all?” Gabriel asks, sounding bored.

“Yes?” Jack responded nervously. Cas instinctively moved closer to Jack slightly pushing the boy behind him. 

“Well, just grab it back! It’s not that hard to do, and we can help you control the powers. I’ve been helping Jackie here with that since he’s gotten his nephilim powers back. He’s got those and a bit of luci’s old grace. Plus you know how long I’ve had to keep my powers locked in order to remain hidden from my brothers and sisters.”

“See, we told you this isn’t that concerning.” Cas whispered to Jack while silently sending Gabriel a thank you. Gabriel’s casual acceptance and offer of help was better than any response he or Dean had come up with last night.

“So you don’t hate me? You don’t think I ruined your lives?” Jack asked quietly from behind Cas.

“Please, our lives have been screwed up long before you got these powers. We don’t blame you.” the other dean said heartily. “It hasn’t been an easy life but we’ve made it through.”

“Samuel?” Jack asked.

Samuel stayed quiet refusing to look up at Jack. Jack sighed and turned back to Gabriel. “Should we go to another room?”

Gabriel nodded and waved at the two Jacks to follow him. Once they left the room everyone resumed with their prior conversations. Everyone was talking and enjoying the company, everyone except for Samuel. Cas looked at Samuel, he pitied the man. It was clear the internal struggle he was facing. His son DJ was now happy and healthy because of the people he had grown to keep at arm's length. Cas still didn’t know the entirety of Winchester's past in this world but he was sure that it was not always this way. He decided that he would try talking to the man, see if he could help ease his pain and struggle. 

Dean gave a questioning glance as Cas started moving to the corner of the room. He gave Dean a quick nod, signifying that Dean should stay back and trust him. Dean didn’t look very pleased but once he saw Samuel in the corner he relaxed and returned his attention to the group.

“May I?” Cas asks pointing to the seat next to Samuel. 

Samuel gives a slight shrug and goes back to watching the crowd around the table. 

Cas didn’t have a plan when he came over and it was clear Samuel was content with sitting in silence. Cas straightened up a bit before starting the conversation. “You could join them you know.” 

Samuel turned to Cas, his eyebrows all scrunched up while he side eyed Monica, Claire and Kevin. “I’m pretty sure I’m not welcome.”

“Your son is with them.”

“He doesn’t have a history with them. They don’t have anything against him.”

“From what I understand Dean doesn’t hold anything against you either.”

“He should.”

“He should what?”

“Hold things against me. It would make it easier to stay away. Now my son wants to hang out with his uncle.” 

“Is that so bad?”

Samuel stays silent for a while as he watches the crowd. Cas noticed that Samuel’s gaze lingered at the Winchester brothers. They were laughing and goofing around. 

“They really get along?” 

“Yes, no matter what's happened they’ve always gone back to each other.”

“It’s weird seeing them, seeing what could have been my life.” 

“It still could be. I’m sure your brother would be willing to reconnect.”

Sam sighed, “it’s too late, I’ve messed up too many times. Plus it’s hard to forgive him even after all these years.”

“I’m lost, could I see really quick?” 

Samuel flinched away but then glanced back, “fine but you can’t tell anyone.”

Cas looked through Samuel’s memories, the good the bad. They sped through but then he landed on the one that he was having a hard time letting go. This one was different, there was a different glow. It was manipulated in some manner but Cas didn’t know what the original was. Since he couldn’t fix it he returned to Samuel to talk about it.

“Something isn’t real about that memory.” 

“So I’ve heard.”

“You’ve never tried to fix it?”

“I’d have to ask Dean, it’s the only way. I don’t have any memory of the real event. Apparently this one is completely manufactured.” 

“Why don’t you ask?”

“What if it’s worse? Worse than what I see?”

“What if it’s better? If it was a big misunderstanding?” 

“That’s still worse, then I’d have been a jerk for no reason.” Samuel leans back and closes his eyes. “It’s too late for us to be brothers like those two.”

Dean had walked over just as Samuel said that. He frowned as he sat next to Cas. Cas placed his arm over Dean's shoulders as Dean and leaned in. 

“It’s not too late” Dean stated sternly. 

Samuel opened his eyes at the sound of Dean but calmed down once he realized it wasn’t his brother. “Look, you two have got a great—-”

“I’m dead” Dean cut him off hoping to get Samuel to just listen to him. It worked. Samuel stopped mid sentence shocked by the revelation. “We are trying to enjoy this time we’ve got before those two go back to their lives and I go back to heaven. Sammy and I don’t have any time.  _ You  _ have time. Sure you may not be comfortable pranking each other but you can get to know each other. Let your kid have an extended family.” 

Cas watched in awe as Dean continued his mini lecture. Dean had always been good at these talks, and looking at Samuel he could tell that Dean’s words were leaving a mark. 

“I’ve done some things he’d never be able to forgive, I’ve said things…” 

“He’ll forgive you.” 

“How do you know?”

“I’m him, and I don’t hate you.” Dean responded instantly with ease. 

“You don’t know what I’ve done.” Samuel pointedly responded not accepting Dean’s remarks. 

“I know what you’ve done, and I know Dean. He’ll forgive you. It may take time, but he wants to have a better relationship with you. I can feel it.” Cas tells Samuel looking straight into his eyes.

“Really?” 

Cas leans back and relaxes as he feels Dean absentmindedly playing around with the hem of his shirt. “I can hear his prayers.” 

That was enough for Samuel to accept everything that he and Dean had said. Samuel’s phone started ringing and he muttered something about his wife calling and that he’d go somewhere more private. 

Once Samuel left Dean turned to him. “You hear his prayers?” 

“I thought they were yours at first, but once I realized they weren’t and that they were meant for the other Castiel I tuned them out.” Cas quickly explained. 

“Huh angel radio all messed up?”

“Well there are two versions of me, no heaven would be prepared for that.” Cas was watching Gabriel mess around with the two Jacks. He didn’t realize that they had returned. He guessed everything went well if they were all calm and enjoying themselves. 

“I suppose.” Dean hummed. “Jack says we’re leaving in a day or two. Gives him some time to work with Gabriel and us some time to say goodbye.” 

“Should we join them?”

“Yeah, whenever you're ready.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter left everyone! 
> 
> I hope you all have enjoyed the story so far!


	40. Chapter 40

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or any of the characters in the show.

Once they had fixed this other world the mood in the bunker shifted. Junior loved watching his Dad and uncle Dean having their prank war. He even teamed up with uncle Dean and Cas at times to get his dad. He also enjoyed talking to DJ and seeing all the similarities they had despite having very different lives! 

Everyone was huddled in the game room watching a movie when Jack walked in and made the announcement that it was time for them to leave. Apparently Jack had gotten more control over his powers and there weren’t any new problems that arose over the last few days. That, and Jack was being called by other worlds regarding a few issues, he feared that he couldn’t put them on hold any longer. Uncle Dean and Cas didn’t seem surprised but his dad seemed just as conflicted about the news as Junior felt. 

Junior was excited to finally see his mom and friends again, but once he left he wouldn’t see Uncle Dean or Cas anymore. The rest of the night consisted of an impromptu farewell party. Junior had a hard time sleeping that night, thinking about everything he had learned in this world, all the friends he had made. He wished that they could still stay in touch after he left. He thought back to the various spells they had looked at when trying to get to this world. He remembered something about a spell that his dad had used in the past. They needed an archangel’s grace for it to work so they didn’t use it. But Gabriel was in this world right? So everyone here could use it? 

Junior got up and went over to the desk. He rummaged around until he found a small piece of paper and a pen. He couldn’t remember the spell completely but he tried his best hoping that it would be detailed enough for the others to fill in the gaps. He didn’t know if they would even want to visit his world but at least this way he tried right? Feeling a small fraction of satisfaction he went to bed and closed his eyes. 

The next morning Junior grabbed his bag and went over to join everyone else. Jack said he’d take them back to their heaven and then send him and dad back to their world. After a quick set of hugs and goodbyes Jack snapped his fingers and Junior found himself back in the cabin they were in long ago. 

“I’ll be sending you back now, but your memories may change a bit.” Jack explained softly. 

Junior looked at his dad who didn’t seem surprised. Junior had forgotten about that part. They weren’t supposed to have any memories of this trip. Would that mean that they were going to go back to how things were before? He and his dad had finally come to an understanding. Would that change? 

Junior kept all his fears in as he went over to hug Uncle Dean and Cas. “I’m going to miss you!” His voice trembled a bit as he held back his tears. 

“We’ll miss you too. Go, live a long life and once that’s over we will have all the time in the world to hang out up here.” Uncle Dean said while rubbing his back. 

Stepping back he watched as his dad went and gave everyone a long hug while muttering a few words to each of them. Once both he and his dad had said their goodbyes, they stood together in front of Jack. 

“Thank you for everything.” Jack said sincerely before he touched both his and his dad’s forehead. Junior felt something cool sweep over him before he was lulled into a deep sleep. 

  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Dean woke up to his mom standing angrily in the doorway. “I’ve called and texted. Why didn’t you tell me you were home?” She signed angrily. 

Dean blinked a few times before looking around for - ah there it was. “My phone isn’t working. I was going to call from home.. I must have forgotten.” 

His mom was still frowning but she seemed less angry. “I’m getting you a portable charger for your birthday. Then that excuse will no longer work.” 

“Where’s dad?”

“He went out for a run. Your essays are on your table whenever you want to finish them.” 

“Ok thanks mom.”

  
  


* * *

Junior woke up confused again. He used to have nightmares about this girl but now his dreams were all different. He saw the girl with Claire. Claire called her Moni and there was another guy there too; apparently his name was Kevin. Junior never met those people other than Claire but there was something weird about the dream; it felt so real. 

He asked Claire about it once but she shrugged it off. “I don’t know anyone named Moni or Kevin. Maybe start a dream journal? The dreams are probably just ways you're dealing with the fear of meeting new people in college.” 

Junior didn’t think that was true but he left it alone for now. On his way back home he picked up a journal so he could write down his dreams. Maybe there was something else at play here. He didn’t want to concern his parents so he decided to figure it out on his own, before telling mom or dad about the dream.

  
  


* * *

“Dean? Bud?” 

“Coming dad one minute!” Dean quickly finished his game and went downstairs to his dad. “What?”

“What’s this?” 

Dean paled as he saw what his dad was holding. It was his dream journal. And the other journal with his notes about what may be causing those dreams. 

“I’m in these… and this looks like hunting notes.” 

“I’ve been having dreams. I thought I’d write them down.”

“The hunting notes?”

“The dreams felt different.” 

“How long?” 

“I don’t know for a few months?”

His dad stumbled back and started breathing a little heavily.

“Dad? Are you ok?”

“They’re all real? I took you with me?” His dad was muttering to himself now. It was scaring Dean a bit he hadn't seen his dad like this before. 

“Dad? What’s going on?”

“We thought it was just residual effects of Jack messing with my memories but you have them too. The dreams?” 

Dean stayed quiet, what was his dad saying? Did his dad have the same types of dreams as him? Had whatever supernatural being that had done this got both him and his dad? His dad was still mumbling to himself and Dean wasn’t sure what to do so he went out to go look for his mom. 

“Mom? Mom!” 

Dean called out as he ran through different rooms of the house. He finally found her upstairs. He quickly signed that something was happening to dad and he didn’t know what to do. She rushed down and tried to coax him out of the state. 

“Sam?”

“They are all real Eileen, he gets them too.” His dad seemed to be in a trance. “He was there. Those dreams are real.” 

“Hey it’s ok, you’re both here now, so it must have been fine right? Everything went well.” 

That seems to snap his dad out of the trance. “You're right. You're right.” 

His mom helps his dad up the stairs into bed. Dean wasn’t sure what to do so he thought he’d ask tomorrow, once everyone had a chance to calm down. His dad kept saying that the dreams were real. How could they be real though? He doesn’t know those people in the dreams. Plus Uncle Dean was in his dreams, and he knows Uncle Dean died before he was born. It didn’t make any sense. 

The next morning Dean sat down with his parents as they explained how his dad had gone on a hunt a few months ago to help out Jack (who apparently was god) and the dreams that Dean had been having had to do with the hunt they went on. 

“I guess Jack found a loophole with the removing memories thing. The dreams give us an idea of what may have happened. But Deano, don’t try to force yourself to remember.” 

* * *

Dean has been praying to Cas and Jack. Nothing dire, just sending them prayers to let them know how it’s going down here. He likes to give them updates on life. Dean and his dad have gotten closer with their shared dream memories. They’d often call each other to talk about any new dreams that they had and compare the differences. It also helped that his dad brought him along for hunts over breaks. Dean knew he didn’t want to hunt full time, but at least now he felt prepared to go in and help if something ever went wrong during his parent’s hunts. 

  
  


* * *

Dean was working with a group of hunters, trying to give them intel when he heard a small crackling noise. Hanging up the phone he turned while reaching for his gun. He had all the wards up, what could possibly breach through all the warding? 

An orange light appeared, it went straight down and was still crackling. A few people walked through and landed in the room. 

“Hey Junior!”

Dean relaxed and rushed over to hug the crowd. They had made it! They figured out the spell and came back to visit him! 

Monica, Claire, Kevin and DJ all greeted Dean and they immediately went into depth about what life had been like over the past few years. 

“Oh I found a way for us to stay in contact, we can give each other intel!” DJ exclaimed. 

“What! Show me!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that was it, the last chapter! 
> 
> I can’t believe that I finished this story! This had been a small idea in the back of my mind for a while and I’ve loved being able to expand on it. Thank you so much to everyone who has taken the time to read it! I hope you’ve all enjoyed the ride.


End file.
